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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 old.
He should be sleeping peacefully in my arms.
He should be growing, smiling, and filling our home with joy.
He should be wrapped in blankets, not surrounded by doctors, tests, medicine, and pain.
But Baruch is suffering.
His tiny kidneys are not working the way they should.
The doctors are still trying to understand exactly what is happening inside his little body.
We still do not have all the answers.
But one thing is already painfully clear:
My baby is in terrible pain.
And this is not something...
On Tu B'Av, the holiday of love, I was walking down a small Jerusalem alley lined with automobile repair shops when I was invited to join a Mincha service. Curious, and always up for a "chavaya," I accepted the invitation. The prayers took place in a tiny office behind one of the garages. The room was barely large enough to hold a minyan. For a few minutes, this cramped workspace was transformed into a shul.
The minyan included mechanics, replete with the mandatory oil-stained hands and grime beneath their fingernails. Some men had flowing beards and black velvet yarmulkes, others were clean-shaven and wore yarmulkes of different sizes and colors, while a few borrowed one for the service. Jews from diverse backgrounds stood together in quiet, sincere prayer. Once the prayers began,...
Holiness in Unexpected Places
During a family trip to northern Israel recently, two images caught my attention. The first was in Tzfat. We have all seen many moving and creative memorial projects, but this was something new. At the entrance to a coffee shop stood an ordinary plastic-bottle recycling bin bearing a sign: “Recycling station to fund a tefillin stand, in memory of Staff Sgt. Uri Yitzchak Iluz.”
Beside it was the tefillin stand itself, already installed in his memory—presumably funded, at least in part, by the bottles that had been collected for recycling. There was no Chabad emissary stationed there. It was simply there, waiting for anyone passing by who wanted to put on tefillin.
I went into the coffee shop, and the waiter, who had noticed me takin...
Baltimore, MD - August 17, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Ephraim Motzen and Esti Kramer on their engagement.
Mazel Tov to the parents A.D. & Shifra Motzen and Chananya & Faige Kramer!
!יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
Baltimore, MD - August 16, 2026 - (BJL) STAR-K has issued the following Yoshon update for consumers:WHEAT:Chodosh wheat will be entering mills very soon. Consumers purchasing wheat flour should begin checking dates within the next week or two.Any retail flour dated before August 18 is certainly Yoshon. STAR-K is currently updating dates for specific companies.For fresh baked goods and other grain products, there is no need to begin checking dates before September 1. STAR-K will issue another update before then.OATS & BARLEY:There is no new information yet. All oats and barley may be assumed Yoshon at least until the next update at the end of August.
Baltimore, MD – August 16, 2026 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Rabbi Avraham Juravel, z’l, a senior rabbinic figure in the Orthodox Union’s (OU) Kosher Certification division and father of Mrs. Chaya Braun.
The levaya will take place Sunday, August 16, at 11:15 a.m. at Kehilas Zichron Yitzchok, 36 Pennington Way, Spring Valley, NY 10977.
Mrs. Chaya Braun will be sitting shiva at her home Sunday night (August 16th), 2307 Rogene Drive, Baltimore, MD 21209.
Additional shiva and minyan details to follow.
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 14, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. & Mrs. Aharon Schnur on the birth of a daughter.Mazel Tov as well to the grandparents Mr. & Mrs. Yanky Schnur and the great-grandmother Mrs. Leah Spatz!
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 14, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. & Mrs. Sruly Schonfeld on the birth of a daughter.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
But if a man, שונא — hates his fellow, lies in wait for him and rises up against him, ומכה נפש — and strikes him mortally, ומת — and he dies, and he flees to one of these cities [of refuge], the elders of his town shall have him brought back from there and shall hand him over to the blood-avenger to be put to death… (דברים יט יא-יב)
The Torah uncharacteristically gives a dramatic background to an unfortunate situation of a person who for whatever reason ambushed a fellow Jew to kill him.
Why do we need to be made aware of all the emotional baggage?
Rashi, quoting from the Sifrei, addresses this issue.
Through this man’s hatred of his fellow, he comes to “lie in wait for him.” From here our Rabbis derived the ma...
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 13, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Tzvi Hirsch Shapiro on the birth of a daughter.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 13, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Efraim Stein on the birth of a son.
Mazel Tov to grandparents Mr. & Mrs. Aryeh Stein
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 13, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. & Mrs. Shloime Rabinowitz on the birth of a son.
Mazel Tov to grandparents Rabbi & Mrs. Pinchos Rabinowitz.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD - August 13, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mayer Kulefsky and Devora Schmell on their engagement.
Mazel Tov to the parents Heshy & Perel Kulefsky and Ben Zion & Shoshana Schmell!
!יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
Baltimore, MD - August 13, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Rafi Shnidman and Ayelet Ehrenfeld on their engagement.
Mazel Tov to the parents Yitzy and Melissa Shnidman and Yona and Shushie Ehrenfeld.
!יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
Baltimore, MD – Aug. 13, 2026 – (BJL) Rabbi Yissachar Hauer will begin serving as Rav of The New Shul this Shabbos, Parshas Shoftim, marking an exciting new chapter for the rapidly growing kehillah.Rabbi Hauer is the son of the venerated Baltimore Rav, Harav Moshe Hauer, zt”l, and Rebbetzin Mindi Hauer. A caring and thoughtful talmid chacham known for his warmth and insight, Rabbi Hauer returns to his hometown prepared to guide the kehillah toward even greater heights of growth. He will also assume the role of Director of the Baltimore division of Relief Resources, a communal mental health referral organization.Rabbi Hauer attended TA through 12th grade before continuing his learning at Ner Yisroel, the Brisker Kollel and the Mir Yeshiva. After returning from Eretz Yisrae...
Baltimore, MD - August 12, 2026 - The Associated’s Young Leadership Council (YLC) Class of 2027 has begun the next phase of its leadership journey with board placements across The Associated network. Throughout the 2027 fiscal year, which began on July 1, 2026, these young adults will serve as board observers (non-voting members) to gain firsthand experience in nonprofit governance, agency operationsand lay leadership.
Along the way, they will contribute to board discussions, participate in committees and be paired with a mentor who will provide support throughout the process.
The board observation program will prepare YLC participants for future leadership opportunities within The Associated network. Following the program’s conclusion in July 2027, participants ar...
