Baltimore, MD - Dec. 2, 2024 - This past Thursday, (Thanksgiving), once again, [with great Siyata Dishmaya], Agra Dpirka hosted its amazing legal holiday program which was very well attended.
Over the past several months, Rabbi Zvi Holland has been delivering Shiurim as guest speaker at the regular shiur series, (10:30 Monday through Thursday) occurring throughout the year at KAYTT, (Rabbi Hebers Shul).
Rabbi Holland has been explaining and elaborating on the Halachos and sugya of Shchita, Nikur and Melicha during these shiurim. Once the regular attendees developed an appreciation for these Halachos, he returned for a final (live) demonstration on Thanksgiving Day, November 28.
Rabbi Yirmiyahu Benyowitz, (who also delivers Shiur...
Baltimore, MD – Dec. 2, 2024 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Isaac & Jennifer Ouzana on the birth of a son.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD – Dec. 2, 2024 BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Ari Purec & Aliza Yudkowsky on their engagement!
Mazel Tov to Reb Shea and Mrs. Esther Purec and Ovadiah & Chani YudkowskyMazel Tov grandparents Rabbi Reuven (Faige, A'H) Yudkowsky and Mrs. Esther (Yehoshua, Z'L) Liebes
יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן!
Baltimore, Md - Dec. 2, 2024 - Maryland has been ranked as the state with the fourth-highest rate of car theft, at 118% above the U.S. average, according to new research by tire experts at Tires Easy that shows states most at risk from car theft.
The study analyzed FBI crime data regarding motor vehicle thefts by state during 2023, comparing it with the number of registered vehicles in the same year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. It identified the states whose vehicles are the most susceptible to car theft.
Maryland ranks as the state where vehicles are fourth-most likely to be stolen. The state, which has over 5 million registered vehicles, saw 33,624 motor vehicle thefts in 2023. This is 664.51 thefts per 100,000 vehicles, the fourth-highest rate nat...
The Shin Bet (ISA) revealed this afternoon (Monday) a phishing campaign by Iran against Israeli citizens, including senior security and political officials.
The goal of the Iranian campaign was to gain access to computer media (email, computer, smartphone) of the Israeli figures it wanted to "attack" in order to obtain personal information about them, such as residential addresses, personal contacts and places where they regularly stay.
The ISA estimates that the collection of information was intended to serve the Iranians' attempts to carry out attacks against individuals in Israel, using Israeli squads they recruited within the Jewish State.
The investigation found that about 200 different cyberattacks were carried out on devices and computers belonging to Israeli individuals.
I...
Baltimore, MD – Dec. 2, 2024 - 9:08AM - The right lane is closed on Greenspring Avenue near Green Summit, heading toward the Quarry.
Please proceed with caution.
Everything They Taught Us in Kindergarten Is Still True
We are now in the Hebrew month of Kislev, with the light-filled holiday of Chanukah soon approaching. Did you learn about Kislev and Chanukah in kindergarten? Because everything we learned then still holds true today! Here are a few points:
Kislev is a month in which the light defeated the darkness.
It is a month that highlights the struggle between the forces of good and evil. The side that will ultimately emerge victorious is not the stronger one, but the one that represents the truth. All our enemies will soon find themselves in the “dustbin of history.”
Kislev is a month of military as well as spiritual strength.
There are times when we need to maintain our courage over an extended period, making it difficult to...
President Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, after the first son was convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year.
The announcement was made by the White House on Sunday night. The pardon applies to offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden "has committed or may have committed" from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024.
"Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter," Biden wrote in a statement. "From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted."
The president went on to claim that his son was "treated differently" by prosecutors.
Hunter Biden, accompanied by his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, arrives at federal c...
Baltimore, MD – Dec. 1, 2024 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Aron Tendler on the birth of a son.
Mazal Tov to grandparents Rabbi & Mrs. Hillel and Mashie Tendler and Rabbi & Mrs. Shlomo and Mindy Spetner
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Sunday that Hamas was showing "greater flexibility" on the possibility of a hostage release and ceasefire deal.
"There are indications regarding a ceasefire with Hamas," he said at an Israel Hayom conference. "We may see a greater degree of flexibility on their part. In my opinion, we will know in the coming days."
The Israeli government wants a deal to move forward, Sa'ar said, adding: "I hope it will succeed in moving forward."
Egyptian delegation in Israel for Gaza ceasefire talks
One of the main sticking points is Hamas control of the Gaza Strip the day after the war, which Israel will not budge on, he said.
Hamas is reportedly meeting on Sunday with Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss formulating the potential deal.
He...
France has warned Israel about the risk of a ceasefire collapse in Lebanon on Sunday.
French diplomats have reported 52 Israeli violations in the last 24 hours, which were not reported via the planned surveillance mechanism, and have resulted in the death of three Lebanese civilians, allegedly. Paris has also noted the resumption of Israeli drone flights at low altitude over Beirut.
A high-ranking French official expressed Paris's concern about a possible collapse of the ceasefire. "The Lebanese are fully committed to maintaining the ceasefire and to prevent Hezbollah from returning to the south, but they need time to prove themselves," he said.
Minor violations reported on day two of Lebanon truce
Israel responded to these criticisms by indicating that the implementation mechan...
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the organization was pausing delivery of humanitarian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday, citing theft by Palestinians – but blaming Israel.
He said that the route has been unsafe for months, noting that the UN's Relief and Works Agency, which is tasked with the international aid given to Palestinians, had "a large convoy of trucks stolen by armed gangs" on November 16.
The organization tried to send food trucks through on Saturday, but this was also stolen.
He said this comes as humanitarian aid deliveries have become "unnecessarily impossible," blaming Israel.
The siege, hurdles imposed by Israeli forces, political policy to restrict aid, lack of safety provided by IDF troops, and the targeting of local police is to blame fo...
Hundreds of yeshiva students from the Gur hasidic sect were instructed Sunday to remain in Jerusalem and not to return to their yeshiva in northern Israel, Kikar Hashabbat reported.
The instruction comes despite the recent ceasefire deal signed between Israel and Lebanon, and the decision of many educational institutions in northern Israel to reopen their doors.
According to the report, the students evacuated their yeshiva, located in Hatzor Haglilit, at the start of the war- even before the Home Front Command issued instructions to do so.
Later, when bomb shelters were built for the students, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of shekels, their rebbe (hasidic leader) still did not support them returning north, due to what he perceived as an unnecessary risk.
The ...
Baltimore, MD - Nov. 30, 2024 - Watch as the Shira Choir, joined by Yehuda Mond on the keyboard, along with the special story told by Rabbi Shai Scherer, create an unforgettable atmosphere during the Siyum on Seder Moed/Melava Malka held in honor of tomorrow's Hachnasas Sefer Torah. Fathers and sons came together for a heartwarming evening of achdus & simcha!
One Friday afternoon this past summer, Shlomo called. Shlomo is a close talmid of mine whom I have taught in various classes over the last three years. “Rebbe, you are going to be so proud of me,” Shlomo began. “I just got paid from my first-ever job as a counselor. I took off maaser and then went with my mother to the bank to open a high-yield savings account. Also, could you send me the maaser spreadsheet you once told us about? I want to keep track of my maaser.”
I was so moved that Shlomo called and shared these lessons that he had learned from the finance classes offered in middle school, as well as from the maaser discussions we’ve had. I told him that I was proud of him for putting into practice the lessons he learned in school.
Money! It’s a su...
President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday he would pick Kash Patel, the former chief of staff to to the acting secretary of defense during the first Trump administration, to serve as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and “America First” fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People," Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social, arguing Patel would "bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI."
Patel, who will have to earn Senate confirmation to become FBI director, has earned a reputation as the ultimate Trump loyalist who has called for a purge of perceived enemies in the Justice Department and intelligence agencies.
A former public de...
US President-elect Donald Trump is keen on achieving a ceasefire and hostage agreement in Gaza before his inauguration on January 20, according to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who spoke to Axios in an interview.
Securing a deal in Gaza is a key priority for President Biden as he approaches the end of his term, but the lack of tangible progress in recent weeks suggests the task may fall to Trump.
Israeli officials speculate that the incoming Trump administration could take a different stance on Gaza, particularly concerning what happens in the aftermath of the war.
Graham, a close confidant and foreign policy adviser to Trump, emphasized that the President-elect is focused on resolving the hostage crisis and ending the conflict quickly, ideally before his term begins.
"Trump...
