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Agra D’Pirka, the brainchild of Ezra Klein, was born in 2009, after he noticed that people were learning daily in many scattered locations in Flatbush. It occurred to him that if these baal habatim were learning in a central location with the proper structured environment, it would raise their Torah learning to a whole new level.
Little did he realize that his revolutionary weekday morning learning program would mushroom into 20 locations around the U.S. in the next 17 years. Today, Agra D’Pirka – l’ilui neshmas Reb Ezra’s mother, Pesi Rochel Klein, a”h (whose initials spell out “Pirka”) -- provides 5000 shiurim annually to the Torah public, provided by 100 magidei shiur.
On October 12-14, you can partake in the great merit of p...
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Baltimore, MD — Between tuition, groceries, busing, and everything that comes before Yom Tov, most Baltimore households aren't looking for one more thing to figure out. But there's one bill that can come down without anything changing at home.
Maryland's community solar program lets BGE customers draw their electricity from a local solar farm instead of putting panels on their own roof. BGE stays the utility — same wires, same service, same bill — and the savings appear as a credit on that bill. For Baltimore households, that's 20% off the electric bill.
Lower Your Bill handles the enrollment itself rather than passing names to a third party, and says both sides of the program are frum-run: the company managing the enrollment and the so...
A heartbreaking tragedy unfolded Wednesday in Beitar Illit, where a 10-year-old boy lost his life after a fire in a dumpster near a residential building in Beitar Illit reportedly triggered an explosion, leaving the child with critical injuries and burns.
Emergency responders from ZAKA and Magen David Adom found the boy unconscious, not breathing and without a pulse. Paramedics immediately began life-saving treatment, including chest compressions, artificial ventilation, medication and efforts to stop bleeding. He was rushed to Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem in critical condition as resuscitation efforts continued, but he was later pronounced dead.
The cause of the incident remains unclear. Initial suspicions are that children lit garbage on f...
To the Baltimore Community:We hope this finds you well having had an uplifting Yom Tov season.As you know, the Trump Administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act that passed in July 2025 included the historic and exciting Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) Program. To briefly refresh you, the FSTC program has two components to it. First, taxpayers can receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit off their federal taxes for donations to scholarship-granting organizations (“SGOs”). Second, the SGOs use the money gathered through these donations to provide scholarships for K-12 school children. After the July 2025 passage of the OBBB Act, two items remained before this program could proceed: one, the development of the program’s rules and regulations by the IRS/Trea...
A Baltimore judge has dismissed three second-degree murder charges against James Edwin Barnett, 58, who is accused of setting the January 2022 fire in a vacant South Stricker Street rowhome that killed three Baltimore City firefighters and seriously injured a fourth. Barnett remains on trial on charges related to the blaze, which devastated the Baltimore firefighting community.
The fire broke out early on January 24, 2022, at 205 South Stricker Street in the Mount Clare neighborhood. Firefighters responded after a 911 call reported a fire in the vacant three-story rowhome, along with reports of people trapped inside. As crews entered the burning building, the structure partially collapsed, trapping firefighters beneath the debris. Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler and EMT/firefighter Ken...
BeMore Giving, a charitable initiative supporting institutions and organizations throughout the Greater Baltimore Jewish community, has reached a significant milestone: $400,000 in total giving.
BeMore Giving has built its model around a simple idea: when individuals make small, consistent contributions to local organizations, those gifts can create a powerful collective impact. The organization encourages community members to give tzedakah on a daily basis, helping both strengthen local institutions and cultivate a lasting habit of generosity.
The $400,000 milestone reflects the combined impact of countless individual gifts. Rather than depending primarily on large, occasional donations, BeMore Giving has created a steady stream of support fueled by everyday acts of giving.
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Baltimore, MD – October 14, 2026 - Excitement is growing across Baltimore’s Jewish community as Miriam’s Library prepares to welcome children to its first after-school classes at its new Pikesville home.
Registration is now open for the inaugural six-week session, beginning Sunday, October 25. Geared primarily toward fourth- and fifth-graders, the program is built around hands-on learning, giving children the chance to explore practical skills, discover new interests and express their creativity.
The first lineup includes 3D Printing & Design, Guitar Fundamentals, Mosaic Art, Screen Printing, Baking & Decorating, and Hairstyling & Braiding. Rather than a conventional homework-focused after-school setting, students will have opportunities to create, expe...
Baltimore, MD – October 13, 2026 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Mrs. Debra Hirsch a"h, mother of Rabbi Moshe Hirsch.
Rabbi Hirsch is sitting shiva at 110 Girton Blvd. Winnepeg, MB, R3P-0A5, Canada through Wednesday. He can be reached at (204) 793-2776 while in Canada.
Rabbi Hirsch will return to Baltimore and sit Shiva at 411 Yeshiva Lane on Thursday.
Rabbi Hirsch will end shiva on Friday at 409 Yeshiva Lane, Apt 1D.
MinyanimShacharis: 7:15amMincha: 2:30pmMincha (Friday): 1:22pmMaariv: 8:45pm
בלע המות לנצח
Elazar Yair Wilensky, a 14-year-old ninth-grade student at ORT Ma’alot Yeshiva High School and the youngest of five siblings, was identified as the student killed Monday when unexploded Hezbollah ordnance detonated during the school’s annual hiking trip in the Ramim Ridge area of the Upper Galilee, near Israel’s border with Lebanon. He leaves behind his parents, three sisters and a brother. The explosion also injured 24 others. Preliminary findings indicated that a student had picked up unexploded Hezbollah ordnance and placed it in a bag before it detonated. The circumstances remain under investigation.
His family remembered him as “a boy who loved life. Smart and intelligent, full of joy, a good and beloved friend, whose entire future was still ahead of him.&rdqu...
President Donald Trump said Monday that the killing of senior Iranian leaders may have complicated efforts to negotiate with Tehran, acknowledging that the United States is uncertain about who is now making decisions within Iran’s leadership.
“We might have gone too far with the leaders because we don’t know who the hell we’re dealing with anymore,” Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio. He also suggested that potential candidates were reluctant to take over Iran’s leadership, saying, “Nobody wants to be the president of Iran.”
Despite the challenges, Trump maintained that US military operations had severely weakened Iran’s armed forces and reiterated that Tehran would not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. ...
Baltimore, MD – October 13, 2026 – (BJL) Slade Avenue is closed to traffic at Park Heights Avenue due to a car accident.Drivers are advised to avoid the intersection and use alternate routes.
Baltimore, MD – October 12, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Zechariah & Dena Grauer and their family on the birth of a baby boy.
!יה"ר שיזכו לגדלו לתורה לחופה ולמעשים טובים. אמן
Baltimore, MD – October 12, 2026 – BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Avi Gruen & Rivka Horowitz on their engagement.
Mazel Tov to the parents Shmuel & Ruth Horowitz and Anshie & Michal Gruen.
!יה”ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
A FedEx driver named Troi Smith in Lakewood, New Jersey, has drawn attention for playing and singing along to Chasidic music during his delivery route, bringing smiles to locals. The non-Jewish driver developed an appreciation for songs by Hasidic artists, including Hershy Weinberger.
“The music is so positive. How can you not like it?” the driver said.
A video of the driver playing the music spread online and caught Weinberger’s attention. The singer reportedly began looking for the driver, hoping to meet him and sing together.
This article was independently written by the BJL Newsroom based on reporting from 5 Towns Central.
Baltimore, MD – October 12, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to David Kreis & Adena Jurkowitz (both Baltimore) their engagement.
!יה”ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
