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By: BJL Newsroom
Baltimore, MD – October 28, 2026 - The Adas invites the Baltimore community to a special Enhanced Shabbos this coming Shabbos Parshas Vayeira, October 30/31, featuring an immersive Shabbos of Torah learning led by Rabbi Yisroel Meir Lebovits, Assistant Rav of the kehillah.
Under the theme “One Shabbos. One Sugya.”, participants will explore the sugya of קובע מקום לתפילתו through a series of shiurim and discussions throughout Shabbos. The program will offer an opportunity to delve into the sugya be'iyun, with mareh mekomos provided for participants.
The learning will begin Friday night with an introductory shiur between Kabbalas Shabbos and Maariv. On Shabbos morning, Rabbi Lebovits will deliver a 30-minute shiur before Shacharis, fo...
Vice President JD Vance has sent a letter to Iran’s national security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, stressing that negotiations to avert potential U.S. strikes would require discussions about Iran’s nuclear program.
The letter focuses on restarting ceasefire negotiations between Washington and Tehran and outlines a possible negotiation framework rather than a detailed peace proposal. President Donald Trump was reportedly enthusiastic about the outreach. The timing of the letter remains unknown.
Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has said Iran would not negotiate with the United States unless its demands were met. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said he was unaware of the letter, an...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party accused Arab-led parties of stealing the election, without providing evidence, as final results were expected to confirm that his bloc had fallen short of a Knesset majority.
Preliminary projections gave Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats in the 120-seat parliament, compared with 48 for opposition parties and 19 for Arab-led parties. Arab voter turnout surged to record levels, strengthening the parties’ potential role in determining Israel’s next government.
The allegations followed a request by the Central Elections Committee for the Shin Bet to investigate possible interference by unspecified foreign entities. The committee said it knew of no basis for claims of widespread violations of election integrity. Qatar den...
A Torah scroll fragment believed to have been used by Nazi SS soldiers as wrapping paper during the Holocaust is expected to be donated to a Holocaust remembrance organization in San Diego after Israel’s Foreign Ministry intervened to stop its sale.
Oslo-based Valkyrie Historical Auctions listed the handwritten calfskin fragment on Oct. 18, estimating its value at $1,500 to $2,000. The auction website showed a winning bid of $8,500, though it remains unclear whether the sale was completed. The auction house initially said Nazi soldiers had used the parchment to wrap a package sent to Germany, but a representative later disputed that account. The consignor said the fragment was found at a public market in Poland more than 30 years ago.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar directed th...
This past Monday, on ט״ו מרחשון, was the yahrtzeit of Rav Michoel Eliezer Hakohen Forshlager, zt״l. I have been visiting his kever for many years, and I was there again this year. I have watched the number of people coming grow, especially on his yahrtzeit. This year, hundreds traveled from out of town to daven. Food and drinks were prepared for those making the trip, and people came with tefillos, hoping for yeshuos. It is moving to see so many people turn to a tzaddik for help. But I believe the story of Rav Forshlager himself is also part of what draws them.
Rav Forshlager was born in Poland and grew up in the world of the Sochatchover Rebbe, the Avnei Nezer. From childhood, his devotion to Torah was extraordinary. As a young boy, he traveled a great distance to be near the...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing a nationwide upgrade to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards, requiring states to issue chip-enabled cards with tap-to-pay technology to help prevent thieves from stealing food benefits.
Under the proposed rule, states would transition from the magnetic-stripe cards currently used by many SNAP recipients to cards with more secure chip and near-field communication (NFC) technology. Retailers accepting SNAP would also need equipment capable of processing chip and contactless payments. The USDA is proposing a two-year implementation period after the final rule is published.
Magnetic-stripe cards are vulnerable to skimming, in which criminals use devices attached to payment terminals to copy card information. Stolen details ca...
Agudath Israel of America and the Aleph Institute are warning community members who are not U.S. citizens to be especially careful about voting eligibility, following reports of individuals being detained at U.S. airports and placed in immigration detention over allegations of unlawful voting.
Non-U.S. citizens, including green card holders and visa holders, are not eligible to vote in federal elections, even if they are registered or receive a ballot in the mail. The mistake can be easy to make: For example, one can become registered to vote through their driver’s license application, and even receive a ballot in the mail, despite their ineligibility to vote. Being registered or receiving a ballot does not mean a person is legally eligible to vote - and you won’t be stopp...
It was an exciting first week at Miriam’s Library as the center officially launched its new after-school program, welcoming more than 50 children registered across six hands-on classes filled with creativity, learning, and fun.
The excitement began on Sunday, October 25, when 15 girls gathered at Miriam’s Library, located at 201 Milford Mill Road, for the inaugural Baking & Decorating class, led by Shira Perlman, owner of Delightfully Sweet. With over 26 years of experience in baking and cake decorating, Perlman brought her expertise and enthusiasm to the young bakers.
The energy continued as Miriam’s Library rolled out its other exciting offerings, including Merch Making, Hairstyling & Braiding, Guitar, Mosaic Art, and 3D Printing & Design. Each class gives...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told supporters at Likud's election headquarters in Jerusalem early Wednesday that Likud is Israel's largest party and called for a right-wing government that does not depend on Arab parties.
"The Likud is the largest party in Israel," Netanyahu said. "We must establish a strong, right-wing, national government."
Netanyahu told supporters to wait for the final count. He said the right-wing bloc had a decisive majority among Jewish and Zionist voters, and he accused the Arab parties he opposes of rejecting Israel's existence and attacking its soldiers.
He also accused left-leaning media of trying to discourage turnout by portraying Likud as having only 18 seats.
On Iran, Netanyahu said he saw an opportunity to work with President Donald T...
With nearly 3.5 million votes counted Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc held 56 seats and the opposition bloc 48, according to partial Central Elections Committee data. Neither side had reached the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority.
The figures were preliminary, with additional votes, including soldiers’ double-envelope ballots, still to be counted. Official results were expected by the end of Wednesday.
Turnout reached 77.7% by the close of polls Tuesday, up 7.1 percentage points from the 2022 election. The IDF reported that nearly 80% of soldiers voted.
Several smaller parties remained below the 3.25% electoral threshold. Opposition leaders called for a change in government, while Netanyahu declared Likud the country’s largest party and...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has reportedly discussed challenging Israel’s election results if he loses, with party operatives preparing allegations of possible voter fraud in Arab communities.
Likud was preparing complaints concerning polling stations in Arab towns, while Haaretz reported that party figures had discussed claiming the election was “stolen” if Netanyahu failed to win. One source close to Netanyahu said discussions had included a campaign similar to President Donald Trump’s claims of widespread fraud after the 2020 U.S. election.
The reports come amid concerns over Likud’s plans to send thousands of activists to monitor polling sites in Arab-majority communities. The activists have no official authority to demand ident...
Israelis turned out in higher numbers than in the last election during the first hours of voting for the 26th Knesset on Tuesday, with turnout at 16.7% as of 10 a.m. Israel time, according to Israel's Central Elections Committee.
That compares with 15.9% at the same hour in the 2022 election. About 1.2 million votes had been cast by 10 a.m., which The Times of Israel said was the highest turnout at that hour since at least 1996, the year Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won his first term.
The committee's official hour-by-hour turnout records only go back to 1996. Some media reports, citing archival figures that may not be precise, said it was the highest turnout since the 1981 election.
Turnout among IDF soldiers was also running higher. According to the military, 30% of sol...
Port Discovery Children's Museum in Baltimore will open a new exhibit called B'More You in the summer of 2027, the museum announced.
The museum said the exhibit draws on the "energy, creativity, and connection of Baltimore neighborhoods."
B'More You will cover 4,500 square feet and will include a park and a rowhome modeled on Baltimore's own. Its activities are designed to help children solve problems, work together and explore the world around them.
The new exhibit will take the place of Adventure Expeditions, one of the museum's original exhibits, which closed in September.
According to the museum, some elements of Adventure Expeditions will be preserved, repurposed or reimagined as part of the new space.
B'More You is part of a larger plan by the museu...
The FBI has arrested a CIA contractor accused of leaking classified defense and Middle East intelligence to a person who then published it online, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Ian Brinksman, 42, was arrested on Friday. According to the Justice Department, he has worked at a Virginia-based U.S. government agency since 2020 and was hired by a contractor to that agency in 2022. He held a Top Secret clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Brinksman provided services to the CIA as a contractor.
According to the criminal complaint, Brinksman had an ongoing personal relationship with a person the Justice Department calls "Individual 1," who said she had published reporting based on cla...
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has signed an executive order describing how the proposed Baltimore Baby Fund would provide financial help to families with newborns if city voters approve it on November 3, WMAR-2 News reported.
The measure will appear on the ballot as Question I, according to WMAR-2's earlier reporting.
Under the plan, every Baltimore City newborn enrolled in the program would be eligible for a one-time cash payment. The amount has not been set.
Some expectant and new parents could receive more help depending on eligibility. That could include a payment during pregnancy, monthly cash assistance after the baby is born, and a contribution to a Maryland 529 college savings account.
Families could also be connected with B'More for Healthy Babies for care coordinati...
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Dictionary.com has named “maxxing” its 2026 Word of the Year, recognizing a popular online trend centered on maximizing or improving different aspects of life.
Derived from “maximizing,” the term is paired with other words to describe specific goals. “Looksmaxxing” focuses on improving physical appearance, “sleepmaxxing” on getting better sleep, and “gymmaxxing” on improving fitness. The trend has spread across social media, with some variations focused on serious self-improvement and others taking a more humorous approach to everyday activities.
So, what about Torahmaxxing? It could mean adding another chavrusa, squeezing a few extra minutes of learning into the day, or finding more opportunities to do chessed. If people are lo...
When one of our babies needs help, we all show up
That's what our community does. We take care of each other, especially the littlest ones.
Right now, a 3-month-old baby named Baruch is in the hospital fighting a serious kidney condition. His treatments aren't fully covered, and no family should have to carry that alone.
So let's carry it together. Every gift, big or small, helps a family focus on what matters most: getting their baby healthy and home.
I look at my tiny baby sleeping peacefully in the ICU.
But my heart knows the truth this is only the beginning of our battle.
A battle for his life and for my strength to keep going.
My name is Miriam.
My baby’s name is Baruch.
He is only two months ...
