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Baltimore, MD – April 22, 2025 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Libby Fleischmann, a”h, wife of Rabbi Yehuda Fleischmann. mother of Ayala (Don) Greenberg, Dovid (Zahava) Fleischmann, Bayta (Yisroel) Luwish, Michoel (Essie) Fleischmann, Brocha (Levi) Mark, and sister of Chaya (Elchonon) Adler
The Levaya will be at Sol Levinson's on Wednesday, April 23 at 3:00 pm followed by Kevurah at the Shearith Israel Congregation Cemetery.
Shiva details to follow.
Baltimore, MD – April 18, 2025 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Leslie Horan, z’l (Shlomo ben Nasson haLevi), father of Rabbi Gavriel Horan and Kaila Schwarz. Shiva will be observed at 2401 Bare Road, Baltimore, MD 21209 Minyanim Shacharis: 8:15 AM Mincha: 5:00 PM Maariv: 9:00 PM
Shiva Visiting Hours Wednesday & Thursday: 9:00–9:30 AM, 5:30–7:30 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM–3:00 PM Bila HaMaves LaNetzach…
Baltimore, MD – April 22, 2025 – Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) has announced that a 2023 cybersecurity incident was far more extensive than initially revealed, exposing the personal data of more than 100,000 current and former students and staff.
In a public disclosure posted on the district’s website, officials confirmed that names, Social Security numbers, student identification numbers, birth dates, and other sensitive data may have been compromised following a June 2023 breach that targeted school system networks. The attack, which occurred between May 7 and June 8, was reportedly linked to a ransomware campaign.
The investigation, carried out with the help of cybersecurity experts, revealed that “an unauthorized actor gained access to certain systems&r...
Towson, MD – April 22, 2025 - The 2025 Baltimore County Councilmanic Redistricting Commission announced today that it has published its first draft redistricting plan for public input and feedback. This first draft map is the product of the Commission’s extended efforts over the eight public meetings and initial public hearing the Commission has held since it was established by the County Council in December 2024 and appointed in January 2025. Notably, this first draft map includes two majority-Black districts and one majority-minority or BIPOC district. The Commission believes this map moves the County Council closer to the goal of representation that better reflects the diversity of the County and ensures the federal Voting Rights Act is at the forefront of its work, while a...
Towson, MD - April 22, 2025 - Baltimore County Police Violent Crimes detectives arrested and charged 44-year-old Lesvin Dominguez-Bolivar with attempted first-degree murder in connection with a shooting that occurred on April 20, 2025. At approximately 10:55 a.m., officers responded to the 4300 block of Crest Heights Rd., 21215, for an assault in progress.
When officers arrived, they located a 62-year-old female who sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was later transported to an area hospital.
Dominguez-Bolivar is currently held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center
Focusing on the Gifts We Receive on Pesach
A not-so-young single woman sent me the following note after Pesach. Her powerful message can give strength to anyone, regardless of their situation:
“Shalom, Sivan. I had a pretty lousy holiday, but on the seventh day of Pesach I remembered an idea I once heard that on every holiday we receive a gift–we are replenished with faith and holiness. We receive this gift without even realizing it. If we participated in a Seder, drank four cups of wine, read the Haggadah and ate matzah, this gift is ours.
“While it’s true that the more we invested in the Seder, the more obvious the gift, even if we were anxious, sad, bitter, ashamed, and envious of our married sister sitting there surrounded by her children, and the...
Baltimore, MD - April 22, 2025 - The automated traffic violation enforcement system in Baltimore City is only catching a small number of motorists who break the law, and many of these drivers don’t bother paying the fines, according to a report by Bikemore, a local advocacy group.
The goal of the automated system is to catch those who violate red lights, truck route restrictions and speed limits. Bikemore’s report from last week, called “Baltimore’s Super Speeders in 2024,” calls out “super speeders” who have repeat speeding violations at cameras in Baltimore City.
“Studies show speed cameras reduce injury and fatal crashes both at the camera locations and in the broader geography surrounding their placement,” said Jed Weeks, Bi...
Baltimore, MD – April 14, 2025 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Mrs. Sheina (Rabbi Boruch, z’l) Kestenbaum, a’h, mother of Reb Yaakov (Chana Baila) Kestenbaum, Rabbi Shmuel (Chaya Leah) Kestenbaum, Reb Yehuda (Rivky) Kestenbam, Reb Yechezkel (Esty) Kestenbaum, Mrs. Malky (Rabbi Michel) Levitansky and Miriam Kestenbaum
Shiva will be observed at 2511 Willow Glen Drive, Baltimore, MD 21209.
The family requests no visitors between 6:00 - 7:00 PM.
Minyanim:
Shachris (Wednesday, April 23rd thru Friday, April 25th) - 7:00 am
Mincha/Maariv (Tuesday, April 22nd thru Thursday, April 24th) - 7:35 pm
Mincha Erev Shabbos (Friday, April 25th) - 2:00 pm
If possible, commit to attend any minyanim that you ...
Baltimore, MD - April 21, 2025 - Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott delivered his State of the City address Monday night, in which he highlighted significant progress in reducing violent crime and outlined future plans for the city’s growth and development.
Scott acknowledged the drop in homicides and celebrated the success of Baltimore’s Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan.
“There were 335 homicides in 2020. There were 201 in 2024,” Scott said. “That’s down 40%. Shootings were down 43% over that time.”
Scott also shared improvements in other areas, including a 23% reduction in robberies, a 19% decrease in carjackings, and a 40% drop in auto thefts. He proudly stated, “Baltimore isn’t on the list” of the 25 most dangerous c...
Baltimore, MD – April 21, 2025 – 6:30PM - Due to a traffic accident and ongoing police activity, Park Heights Avenue is closed southbound at Brooks Robinson Drive. H/T: Bmore Traffic ------------------------------------------------------------------
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Baltimore, MD - April 21, 2025 - Change is coming to the Inner Harbor in more ways than one.
In addition to an ongoing revitalization project greenlit by voters last fall, Baltimore's Department of Transportation announced upgrades to the portion of Pratt Street that runs along the Harbor.
The goal: to make the bustling area more bike and pedestrian friendly.
"Because it has a high volume of crashes, especially with pedestrians, any safety improvements we can make are good," executive director of Bikemore Jed Weeks said.
The project, expected to begin in mid-May and last nine months, promises high visibility crosswalks, ADA accessibility upgrades and more signage at three key intersections: Light, Calvert and President Streets.
"That's excellent to give peopl...
Harvard University said it has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing it has violated the university’s constitutional rights by freezing billions of dollars in federal funding, illegally imperiling its academic independence.
“The consequences of the government’s overreach will be severe and long-lasting,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in a community message announcing the lawsuit. Research at risk by the funding cuts, Garber said, includes work into child cancer, infectious disease outbreaks, and easing the pain of soldiers wounded in battle.
Harvard argues in the lawsuit that the government has cut off funds “as part of its pressure campaign” to force the university “to submit to the government&r...
The U.S. economy grew at a faster pace than expected at the beginning of 2024 as consumers continued to open their wallets despite ongoing inflation and high interest rates.
Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced across the economy, grew by 2.8% on an annualized basis in the three-month period from April through June, the Commerce Department said in its first reading of the data on Thursday.
That is much higher than the 2% increase forecast by LSEG economists and the 1.4% pace seen during the first quarter.
"The U.S. economy is much stronger than people realize and to the extent that markets were worried about a growth slowdown, they should breathe a sigh of relief after this morning’s GDP number," said Chris Zaccarelli, c...
Baltimore County, MD - April 21, 2025 - The police chief was the Baltimore County government’s highest-paid employee in 2024, according to compensation data analyzed by The Baltimore Sun.
Chief of Police Robert McCullough earned $285,900 in gross pay last year, within a couple of hundred dollars of his annual salary, according to payroll data obtained through a public information request. Behind him were a lieutenant and captain within the police department. Overall, the county paid over $680 million to 9,129 employees, up 7% over 2023.
McCullough was nominated for the position in April 2023 by then-County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. He was sworn in shortly after, becoming the county’s first Black police chief.
McCullough, a 37-year veteran, rejoined the department follow...
Baltimore, MD – April 21, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Yitzchok Fine & Chani Feldman on their engagement!
Mazel Tov to Menachem & Nomi Fine and Rabbi & Rebetzin Akiva and Yehudis Feldman
Mazel Tov grandparents Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan & Judi Feldman and geat-grandparetns Rabbi & Mrs. Emanuel Feldman
יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן!
Baltimore, MD - April 21, 2025 - There will be no more court oversight for certain areas within the Baltimore City Police Department for the first time in eight years.
Last week, a judge found it had sustained compliance for two areas for more than a year: transportation of persons in custody and officer assistance and support under its agreement with the DOJ, after both parties made a motion last month to make it official.
The decision came down almost a decade to the day since Freddie Gray died, most notably due to the injuries he sustained while being transported.
The department overhauled its policies, implemented extensive training and upgraded its vehicle equipment maintenance as part of the Consent Decree.
"The Baltimore Police Department has improved tremendousl...
1. On Tuesday, April 22nd, a global "Day of Rage" in support of the Palestinians is expected to take place. Being led by pro-Palestinian groups, many calls have been identified online to hold protest events, demonstrations and carry out disruptions in a number of countries around the world.
2. These protests and demonstrations have the potential to develop into violent incidents against Israelis. There is concern that independent terrorists and/or their supporters may attempt to join protests in order to carry out an attack.
3. Please note that in recent years, and especially following the Swords of Iron War, we see an increase in the activity of extremists around the world calling for protests and disruptions, and in some cases, calls of a violent nature.
4. Here are the NSC reco...
Baltimore, MD – April 21, 2025 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Mrs. Tovah (bas Kaylah) Hendon, a”h, mother Kenny (Aliza) Hendon
Shiva will be observed - through Monday, April 28 - in Baltimore from Wednesday afternoon at 6602 Wickfield, Baltimore, MD 21209.
Minyanim:
Mincha/Maariv (starting Wednesday) 7:35pm
Shacharis 7:00AM
Erev Shabbos Mincha: 2:00PM
Motzaei Shabbos Maariv: 8:40
Visiting hours:
9am-12, 2pm-4, 7pm-9
Fri: 9am-12
Motzaei Shabbos: 8:40-10pm
Jerusalem, Israel - April 21, 2025 - 23 Nisan 5785 - President Isaac Herzog received the Diplomatic Credentials of seven new Ambassadors to Israel, including U.S. Ambassador Michael Dale Huckabee at Beit Hanasi in Jerusalem, Israel.
President Herzog and Ambassador Huckabee delivered statements to the media. A section of the Ambassador's remarks is shared here:
President Herzog to new U.S. Ambassador Huckabee: “We share our heartbreak and our absolute resolve to see every last hostage freed from the Hamas dungeons and returned to their loved ones. Immediately. Every last one. I thank you for this allegiance of heart, and, no less, for your commitment to action. Nothing is more urgent.”
U.S. Ambassador Huckabee: “We care deeply, Mr. President, ab...
