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Shabbos Vayechi highlights an important and often overlooked message. As we read about Yaakov Avinu preparing for the end of his life and giving clear instructions regarding his kevurah, we are reminded that planning ahead is not only responsible but deeply rooted in Torah values.Yet for many, end-of-life planning is postponed indefinitely. Even in the frum community, many are unaware of the practical and halachic details that can significantly affect kavod hameis and a family’s peace of mind. When these matters are addressed thoughtfully in advance, families avoid unnecessary stress and uncertainty during already difficult moments.To help the community gain the clarity they need, NASCK is offering two free live workshops over Shabbos Vayechi weekend, presented by Rabbi Elchonon Zohn...
A 13-year-old boy was lightly injured on Sunday evening when he was struck by a vehicle near the community of Ateret in the Binyamin region.
Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency medical teams that arrived at the scene provided the victim withinitial medical care and evacuated him to Hadasah Mount Scopus Hospital with a minor arm injury.
IDF soldiers were dispatched to the scene and are establishing roadblocks, encircling the Ramallah and Birzeit areas, and conducting searches for the suspect
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Baltimore, MD – January 1, 2026 – BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Mrs. Susan Bergman, a’h, beloved mother of Nitzan Bergman.
The levaya will be held on Friday, January 2, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (PST) 1:00PM (Baltimore) at Mount Sinai Memorial Parks, 6150 Mt. Sinai Dr., Simi Valley, CA 93063.Click here for Live stream
Kevurah will take place at Mount Sinai Memorial Parks.
Shiva will be observed as follows: • Los Angeles: 2131 Century Park Ln., Building 3, Apt. 108, through Monday • Baltimore: Beginning Tuesday night, with Maariv at 8:00 p.m., continuing Wednesday with Shacharis at 8:00 a.m. and Mincha/Maariv at 4:45 p.m., at 3310 Labyrinth Rd., Baltimore, MD 21215
Those wishing to share memories and tributes may do so at: https://...
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Baltimore, MD - Dec. 30, 2025 - The Eruv of Baltimore has launched a centralized online hub at eruvofbaltimore.org. Community members can now check the Eruv status, support the organization through donations, and manage their listings in one place. To ensure you stay informed, the site also offers sign-ups for weekly Erev Shabbos alerts via email, text, or phone.
Following are key facts about the oil industry of Venezuela, whose President Nicolas Maduro was captured by U.S. forces on Saturday, according to U.S. President Donald Trump.
RESERVES
Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves but its crude output remains at a fraction of capacity due to mismanagement, lack of investment and sanctions, official data shows.
Venezuela holds about 17% of global reserves or 303 billion barrels, ahead of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) leader Saudi Arabia, according to the London-based Energy Institute.
Its reserves are made up mostly of heavy oil in the Orinoco region of central Venezuela, making its crude expensive to produce, but technically relatively simple, according to the U.S. government's energy dep...
Two Jewish sisters, 15-year-old Alicia and 14-year-old Diana Gunst, were killed in the devastating fire last Thursday at the Swiss ski resort in Crans-Montana.
The Jewish community in Lausanne announced that "it is with great sorrow that we announce the deaths of Alicia and Diana, who were tragically killed in a fire. The community partakes in the family's mourning and will stand beside it as needed."
At the time of publication, an Israeli who was at the scene during the disaster, 15-year-old Charlotte Needham, who was working as a babysitter at the scene, is still unaccounted for.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday acknowledged the economic grievances driving the latest wave of protests across Iran, even as he warned that there would be no leniency for what he called “rioters," AFP reported.
The protests began on Sunday over high prices and economic stagnation, but have since expanded to include political demands. Iranian media have reported localized violence and vandalism in the west of the country in recent days.
The unrest has affected at least 30 cities to varying degrees, mostly medium‑sized, according to an AFP tally based on official announcements and media reports. At least 12 people have been killed since Wednesday in clashes, including members of the security forces.
Speaking in Tehran during a Sh...
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday evening deboarded a plane at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York after arriving in the United States, according to a federal official and footage aired by CNN affiliate WCBS.
The captured Venezuelan leader was seen in grey clothing and handcuffs, escorted by more than a dozen federal agents dressed in black, WCBS reported.
Maduro is expected to be transported by helicopter to Manhattan before being taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center, a facility that has housed several high‑profile defendants in major federal cases, including Sean “Diddy" Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.
He is scheduled to face drugs and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court next week.
Maduro and his wife were c...
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 3, 2026 - The United States conducted a “large-scale strike” early Saturday in Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro, flying him and his wife out of the country, President Donald Trump said.
Here's how Maryland leaders reacted to the strike.
Congressman Kweisi Mfume
"Donald Trump's illegal invasion of the sovereign country of Venezuela without military provocation should anger every American and every member of Congress. Trump was elected to run the United States, not Venezuela. With everyday people struggling to find a way to pay for increasing healthcare costs, higher grocery bills and home heating bills, we don't need a gangster President who spends time invading another country but refuses to take care of American...
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee responded Saturday night to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's expression of support for Venzuelan President Nicolás Maduro following the US' capture of Maduro and his wife.
"I pity ppl of NY for electing a mayor who sides with a drug trafficker & ally of Iran & Hezbollah rather than his constituents," Huckabee commented. "Will he & Sen Van Hollen go to Maduro's jail cell to sip margaritas for solidarity?"
Earlier, Mamdani wrote, "I was briefed this morning on the US military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City."
"Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and in...
Hours after the dramatic announcement of the capture of Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, new details emerged about the operation that led to his downfall.
The reports reveal a complex, well-coordinated, multi-stage operation carried out deep in the Venezuelan capital.
According to sources quoted in The New York Times, CIA agents began intensive intelligence gathering as early as last August, using a secret agent inside the Venezuelan government.
Information provided by the agent allowed identification of "a pattern of unusual behavior" at the Puerta Tiuana base - considered Maduro's personal stronghold - where he and his wife, Cilia Flores, were observed.
Meanwhile, as published in The Washington Post, destroyers including USS Iwo Jima, USS Ne...
Hours after an audacious military operation that plucked leader Nicolás Maduro from power and removed him from the country, President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.
The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on the South American nation and its autocratic leader and months of secret planning resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Legal experts immediately raised questions about whether the operation was lawful, and Venezuela’s vice president demanded in a speech that the U.S. free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader.
Speak...
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 2, 2026 - In 2025, Maryland taxpayers saw many tax and fee increases, but the state is still facing a major budget deficit, and that means 2026 could bring more of the same.
From increased vehicle registration fees to a 6% vending machine tax, an increased emissions testing fee up to $30, a sports betting hike from 15 to 20%, and many more.
Anirban Basu, a local economist and CEO of Sage Policy Group Inc, said, “There was $1.6 billion in additional taxes to try and address a $3.3 billion fiscal shortfall.”
Now in 2026, lawmakers are still facing a nearly $1.5 billion budget deficit as they head into session in mid-January.
“This might actually be a legislative session that is more focused on cost cutting and reducing state expenditures,&rdqu...
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 2, 2026 - Kollel Avreichim Baltimore hosted its first Yarchei Kallah learning program this week. Now settled into their own building after spending the past year as guests of Khal Ahavas Yisroel Tzemach Tzedek, the kollel took the opportunity to invite the broader community to join them and use their day off from work to dedicate time to Torah.
The program began with a light breakfast, followed by a seder hachanah on the sugya of Chukas HaGoyim, and continued with an engaging and interactive shiur delivered by the Rosh HaKollel, Rabbi Binyomin Chajes. The lomdim expressed that the Yarchei Kallah left a profound impression, enriching their grasp of the sugya and enhancing their appreciation for ongoing limud haTorah.
B’ezras Hashem, Kollel Avreichim looks forw...
Baltimore, MD - Jan. 2, 2026 - Baltimore achieved a historic milestone in 2025 with its lowest homicide count on record and 101 fewer non-fatal shootings compared to 2024. But as the city enters 2026, residents have varying perspectives on whether they actually feel safer in their daily lives.
Sydney Clayton, a Fells Point neighbor, said the city's reputation doesn't match her personal experience.
"There is obviously a stigma when people talk about Baltimore and I don't feel that whenever I am around here. I don't intentionally walk alone at night but other times where I've had to I feel safe," Clayton said.
Clayton praised the declining crime statistics.
Day Gilmore, who has lived in Columbia for more than 40 years, said he's proud to see Baltimore ...
Baltimore, MD – January 2, 2026 (7:50AM) – Due to an accident at the intersection of Park Heights & Fallstaff, traffic is blocked on Fallstaff between Park Heights and Cross Country Boulevard.
Baltimore, MD – January 1, 2026 – BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Baruch and Daniella Ruben on the birth of a daughter.
Mazel Tov to the grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Attar.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD – December 31, 2025 – BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Avi Lowenthal (Baltimore) and Toby Meth (Baltimore) on their engagement.
Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Norman & Shaindy Lowenthal and Mr. & Mrs. Reuven & Debra Meth.
