Today, the Supreme Court of the United States overruled Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision establishing a woman’s constitutional right to abortion. Agudath Israel of America welcomes this historic development.  Agudath Israel has long been on record as opposing Roe v. Wade’s legalization of abortion on demand. Informed by the teaching of Jewish law that fetal life is entitled to significant protection, with termination of pregnancy authorized only under certain extraordinary circumstances, we are deeply troubled by the staggering number of pregnancies in the United States that end in abortion.   We do not seek to impose our religious beliefs on the broader American society. We are of the view, however, that society, through its laws, should promote a social ethic t...
After the nation was informed of the consequence for the sin of the spies, they grieved exceedingly. The next morning, evidently several of them regretted their previous doubts and decided they would take responsibility for their sin, admit their error, and ascend the mountaintop and take on the enemy and conquer the promised land. Moshe immediately confronts, and addresses, them, “Why do you transgress the word of Hashem? It — לא תצלח — will not succeed.” Moshe seems not only to be taking them to task for their insolence in defying G-d’s will, but also informing them they will not succeed. Why is this second point even worthy of mention? Is Moshe intimating that if they were to succeed it would justify their going against the dictate of G-d? Rashi se...
According to a new study that measures behavior, fitness infrastructure and health status factors, Maryland is the 9th healthiest state in the United States. The study ranks all U.S. states and the District of Columbia against 13 contributing factors. Maryland has 12.5% smokers, 14.5% binge drinkers, 31% obese and 50.6% aerobically active adults. Adults in Mississippi, Kentucky and West Virginia have the unhealthiest people in the U.S., as they eat the lowest amount of fruits and vegetables, topping the smoker's charts, while only 1 in 4 adults work out twice a week. The Healthiest States Index uses the latest available data from the U.S. Census and CDC published between 2015 and 2022. 50.6% of the adult population in Maryland is aerobically active for the recommended minimum of ...
Owners of a Northwest Baltimore home had just completed renovations and was preparing to put the home on the market, however, plans changed almost overnight. "We noticed someone living in the house," said Jack Resnick of Platinum Realty. Owners say the lockbox on the front door had vanished and a woman had settled inside the home. "They basically removed the lock box, changed the locks, and presented the property as their own," said Resnick. The woman is now refusing to leave and, according to owners, is armed with a fictitious lease claiming she is renting the home. In-text messages, the owner has offered the woman $1,500 to leave the home. She replied that she needed $6,200. "Its just a way for them to make money," said Jack, "The Serve Guy" who owns a private eviction service. "I...
The Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade, eliminating the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion and handing states authority to drastically limit or ban the procedure. The decision announced Friday by a majority of conservative justices to fundamentally reshape American society by overturning the landmark 1973 precedent is certain to ignite a political firestorm and yield a complex patchwork of state laws that will effectively block large swathes of the population from terminating unwanted pregnancies. The ruling upholds Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, which directly clashed with Roe’s requirement that states permit abortion up to the point of fetal viability, around 24 weeks. More than two dozen states, primarily in the South and Midwest, are expected ...
Baltimore, MD - June 24, 2022 - 7 people from our very own community will be on the Baltimore City Ballot in July! Delegate Dalya AttarState Central Candidates: Alex Friedman Shevy Friedman Sandy Rosenbluth Councilman Isaac Yitzy Schleifer Tzvi SkaistTzvi Topper They need all our support! In order to vote for them, you must be at least 18 years old and registered as a democrat.  Every vote is crucial so please be sure, you, your family, your friends and your neighbors are all registered to vote. Register to vote by clicking on this link: https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/VoterSearchUpdate your registration by clicking on this link: https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/OnlineVoterRegistration/InstructionsStep1The deadline to register or change your party affiliation ...
“The Lord spoke to Moses saying, “Send out for yourself men who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. You shall send one man each for his father’s tribe; each one shall be a chieftain in their midst.” So, Moses sent them from the desert of Paran by the word of the Lord. All of them were men of distinction; they were the heads of the children of Israel … These are the names of the men Moses sent to scout the Land, and Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua (Bamidbar 13:1-3, 16).” We have all had ideas that in the moment appeared to be good and solid and in retrospect were flawed and impetuous. Our ancestors were just a few steps away from the actualization of the promise Hashem had made to Avraham. The Land we h...
The Senate voted 65 to 33 Thursday evening to pass a bill to strengthen background checks for gun buyers younger than 21, provide billions of dollars in money for mental health treatment and help states administer red flag laws, setting up a vote in the House as soon as Friday.  The strong bipartisan vote for the bill is expected to give it enough momentum to sail through the House and make it to President Biden’s desk, giving him one of the biggest domestic policy achievements of his first two years in office.   Senators hailed passage of the legislation, which cracks down on straw purchasers and illegal gun traffickers and closes the boyfriend loophole to deny guns to romantic partners convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses, as a bipartisan breakthrough.&nb...
Baltimore, MD - June 23, 2022 - On June 15th the Mechina celebrated a Siyum on Maseches Gittin. This annual event is to honor the 70+ Bochurim who learned extra Perakim in the Meseches and took Bechinos on them. To qualify as a Mesayaim they had to learn at least the first six Perakim. These Bochurim dedicated their free time to reaching this goal and many of them actually finished the entire Meseches. As the Menahel of the Mechina, Harav Simcha Cook, points out each year, there are also many Bochurim who choose to learn slower or be Miayen more into the Sugya that learned as many hours and with the same intensity as the Misaymim. To mark this occasion we were honored tha Harav Chaim Yehoshua Hoberman, the Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta of Long Beach, graced us with his presence. He first said a ...
Things were dire. A death sentence was handed down to an entire population. For the next thirty-eight years, they would aimlessly wander through hot desert sands without hope and without future. An unimaginable horror of inescapable death, life slowly ticking away amidst endless dunes. All horizons of hope and of opportunity were shuttered. Overnight, their entire world changed. They woke up to a dark and gloomy world, beyond promise and beyond dreams.   That “lost generation” squandered more than just their future. They lost their common narrative. Previously, they shared a common story: selected by Hashem, liberated from two centuries of slavery, they were in transit “on eagles' wings” to a land of destiny. Whatever their differences, they all shared on...
FedEx will soon take photos of packages at your doorstep to provide proof of delivery when they don’t require a signature. “This is something e-commerce merchants and customers have been asking for, and we are proud to be the first to announce this service will be available to residential customers,” Brie Carere, FedEx’s chief customer officer, said in a press release announcing the program today. The free service will be available for both FedEx Express and FedEx Ground delivery customers with and without a login to the FedEx Delivery Manager, the company’s free portal. The new program will obviously be a good source of protection for FedEx, and it should also help business owners whose customers report that their package hasn’t been delive...
Baltimore, MD – June 23, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe Dovid Robinson on the birth of a daughter. יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD – June 23, 2022 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Adir Langerman on the birth of a son. Mazel Tov grandparents Drs. Solomon & Rena Langermann.  יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and local police have foiled multiple Iranian attempts to kidnap and kill Israelis in Istanbul, including a former Israeli ambassador and his wife, the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News reported on Thursday. The Iranian cells “were allegedly preparing to kidnap and attack Israeli diplomats and tourist groups in Istanbul,” with the shooters already present in the city, according to the report issued. Several suspects, including “local collaborators,” were detained in a joint operation conducted on June 17 by MİT and the police in The Soul Hotel and at three separate rental houses in the Beyoğlu district. Members of the Iranian intelligence service and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were undercover as students, ...
In separate statements issued shortly after a Supreme Court decision that makes it easier to carry concealed guns, President Joe Biden and the Department of Justice slammed the controversial ruling. Just weeks after the Uvalde and Buffalo mass shootings, the Supreme Court on Thursday voided a New York law that required gun owners to provide a reason why they should be able to carry a gun in public. Biden said he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision and that it “contradicts both common sense and the Constitution, and should deeply trouble us all.” The DOJ said it “respectfully disagrees” with the ruling and that the department “remains committed to saving innocent lives by enforcing and defending federal firearms laws, partnering with sta...
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of a death row inmate in Georgia who is challenging the state's lethal injection protocol and seeks to die by firing squad -- a method not currently authorized in the state. The court said the inmate could bring the challenge under a federal civil rights law that allows individuals to seek remedies when their Constitutional rights are violated. The decision could make it easier for inmates to challenge their potential execution method. The 5-4 majority opinion was written by Justice Elena Kagan, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett penning a dissent joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch. Kagan said that the law at issue, Section 1983, "broadly authorizes suit against state officials for the deprivation...
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) stopped by the Sean Hannity Show to discuss the Jan 6 Committee hearings. Cruz says the hearings are a joke and essentially a commercial for the Democrats. “This is not a congressional hearing,” Cruz says. “This thing is a joke. This is not a congressional hearing. Congressional hearings are designed to be a fact-finding mission. You have opposing sides. This is a political Democratic campaign commercial,” Cruz says. “What would you think if you had a criminal trial, and the judge says ‘we’re only going to allow the prosecution to speak?” Meanwhile, during a recent panel discussion on Meet the Press NOW, NBC anchor Chuck Todd asked Politico correspondent Betsy Woodruff Swan, “Does the Jan. 6 hearing break throu...
The Baltimore City Council voted Thursday to approve Mayor Brandon Scott's $4 billion budget. Mayor Brandon Scott said the budget included $3.32 billion for operating expenses and $792.6 million for capital investment. Although the council has limited authority over the budget, this year's hearings were particularly detailed and contentious. The council members put particular emphasis on the city's public safety agencies as violent crime continued to surge in the city. Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement Director Shantay Jackson and Sheriff John W. Anderson all sat for hours of questioning. In a rare move, the council -- unsatisfied with the answers from Sheriff...
Jerusalem, Israel - June 23, 2022 - The Eli Hurvitz Conference held at the Orient Isrotel Hotel in Jerusalem, Israel, began with greetings by President Isaac Herzog on June 21, 2022.  The President opened the conference, “Eli Hurvitz, may he rest in peace, for whom the conference is named and whom I had the privilege to know well and love dearly, served as the chairman of the public commission that in 2008 published the Strategic Vision for Israel 2028. At that time, I was a member of the government, serving as the Minister for Social Affairs and Social Services, and I will never forget Eli Hurvitz’s fascinating overview." The Eli Hurvitz Conference on Economy and Society, formerly the Caesarea Economic Policy Planning Forum, is regarded as Israel's mo...
More articles