Baltimore, MD – Feb. 7, 2023 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Chani and Binyomin Vilner on the birth of a son. Mazel Tov grandparents Rabbi & Mrs. Ariel Sadwin and Rabbi & Mrs. Menachem Vilner and great grandparents Mr. & Mrs. Manny Sadwin and Rabbi & Mrs. Ben Zion Malin יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 7, 2023 - EBT cards from many community members have been compromised and thousands of dollars have been drained from their accounts. This is unfortunately consistent with the same issue reported nationally. While many security measures have been put in place over the years to combat credit card fraud in general, such as contactless payments and embedded microchips, unfortunately the EBT card does not have some of these protections. EBT cards do not have a chip, nor do they have contactless pay, which makes it more susceptible to theft. The best way to protect against EBT fraud is to change your PIN frequently. If your card has been compromised, changing your PIN can make all the difference in stopping a thief from accessing your card and using all the available...
A Tuesday morning fire forced a temporary evacuation of the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Circuit Courthouse in downtown Baltimore. According to Sheriff Sam Cogen, someone dropped a lit cigarette in a nearby street grate causing some smoke to enter the building. Fire crews responded to fan out the courthouse leaving Courthouse West at 100 N. Calvert Street temporarily closed. Cogen said scheduled hearings will still go on. To check the current docket click here.
Zoom is reducing its headcount by 15%. The layoffs will affect about 1,300 of Zoom's employees, CEO Eric Yuan said in a blog post published Tuesday on the video communication company's website. Yuan noted Zoom "needed to staff up rapidly to support the quick rise of users on our platform and their evolving needs" during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company's size tripled within two years, he said.  "We didn't take as much time as we should have to thoroughly analyze our teams or assess if we were growing sustainably, toward the highest priorities," Yuan said in the blog post. "As the world transitions to life post-pandemic, we are seeing that people and businesses continue to rely on Zoom," he said. "But the uncertainty of the g...
- WBAL TV reports that the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse in Baltimore, MD has been evacuated and temporarily closed on Tuesday morning. , due to an emergency situation, according to the Baltimore City Sheriff's Office. The Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734 reported that smoke from a fire outside the building entered the courthouse. Firefighters are currently using fans to clear the smoke, according to the union. No additional information is available at this time.
Team consists 25 Medical and Rescue Personnel, 10 Tons of Medical Equipment, and Humanitarian Aid Ben Gurion Airport - Feb. 7, 2023  - United Hatzalah of Israel sent a delegation of 25 first responders and experts in search and rescue operations together with 10 tons of medical supplies and humanitarian aid to Turkey on a special charter flight this afternoon. The chartered flight was arranged by the emergency medical service (EMS) organization together with Sun D’or an El Al-owned subsidiary airline in coordination with the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Israeli embassy in Turkey.  The goal of the relief mission is to assist in rescue operations and to provide medical assistance following the earthquake that struck the southeast of the country yesterday. The delegation ...
Baltimore, MD – Feb. 6, 2023 - Today the Baltimore County Council approved the Bring Your Own Bag Bill.  Councilman Izzy Patoka championed an amendment to the bill that excludes small businesses that have 3 or fewer locations in Baltimore County.  This amendment that passed along with the bill exempts stores such as 7 Mile Market, Market Maven and the Candy Store.
For over a year, FOX45 News has been investigating the program, the community organizations utilizing grant funding to run it, and the efforts of its employees to prevent gun violence. The Safe Streets workers, also known as Site Directors, Site Supervisors, or Violence Interrupters, are contracted to meet weekly to discuss the program and its ongoing efforts, but this remains unclear due to the program's secrecy. The employees are not city employees, but are on the payroll of the community organizations running their location, and the employee names are redacted in the contracts provided by the city. Recently, Mayor Scott has changed the management structure of Safe Streets, with LifeBridge Center for Hope and Catholic Charities set to assume responsibility for all 10 locations, ins...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 6, 2023 - Please be advised that Cosmo's brand Pitted Oil Cured Olives, produced in Morocco, bear an unauthorized STAR-K symbol and are not certified by STAR-K.  Corrective action is being taken.
Radiating From Our Land: Being the Or La’goyim We Are Meant To Be וְעַתָּה אִם שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ בְּקֹלִי וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת בְּרִיתִי וִהְיִיתֶם לִי סְגֻלָּה מִכָּל הָעַמִּים כִּי לִי כָּל הָאָרֶץ: וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹש (שמות יט:ה-ו): וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם כִּי הִוא חָכְמַתְכֶם וּבִינַתְכֶם לְעֵינֵי הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁמְעוּן אֵת כָּל הַחֻקִּים הָאֵלֶּה וְאָמְרוּ רַק עַם חָכָם וְנָבוֹן הַגּוֹי הַגָּדוֹל הַזּ...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 6, 2023 - Yeshivas Toras Simcha, now in its seventh year of service to the Baltimore community, started a Shacharis minyan this morning. "Baruch Hashem that we have reached the milestone where we now have enough bar mitzvah boys to have a daily shachris minyan," commented Rabbi Dovid Kapenstein. The boys were so very excited to dance the sefer Torah to our beis medrash. The school has 140 boys in grades nursery through seventh and recently purchased a new building on Sudbrook Lane. YTS focuses on meeting the individual needs of every student in a warm, nurturing and "simchadik" environment. The community is invited to take part in any or all the Nusach Ashkenaz minyanim: Shacharis at 7:45AM, Monday - Friday on school days.  Mincha at 1:45PM (Mon-Thurs) ...
Powerful earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, leaving some 5,000 people dead, destroying thousands of buildings and prompting a massive rescue operation. The initial, 7.8-magnitude quake was felt across four countries on Monday morning. It was followed by aftershocks and then a 7.5-magnitude quake in the afternoon. Race to Rescue Survivors: Search teams have rescued almost 2,500 people caught under debris in Turkey. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the earthquake could cause up to 10,000 fatalities and initial damages of $1 billion in economic losses. Photos and videos from the countries showed widespread destruction. International Aid: President Biden said the U.S. was sending teams to Turkey, while Israel sa...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 6, 2023:Monday, February 6, 2023 Legislative Session - 6 p.m.  The public may join the legislative session in-person or virtually The Legislative Session can joined by the public in-person in the County Council Chambers, online here (Webinar Password - JPzbSbj7p37) or by phone at +1-415-655-0001 US Toll  - Event number (access code): 2307 713 9354  Webinar Password: 57927257 The public is invited to provide testimony on any matter of interest at the conclusion of the Legislative Session. Anyone wishing to testify shall register in advance using our online Speaker Registration Form (Registration Form will be available on the day of the Legislative Session). This will e...
A Los Angeles city councilman who advocates for abolishing the police is facing criticism after his office requested extra patrols from the LAPD to monitor his broken-down Lexus, according to Fox News. Council Member Hugo Soto-Martinez of District 13 made the request through a staffer, who called the police Wednesday evening. Soto-Martinez had previously identified himself as a "abolitionist" in a candidate questionnaire. VP of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, Sgt. Jerretta Sandoz, called the councilman's actions "hypocritical" and "irresponsible." In response to the incident, the councilman's office stated that they were investigating the matter internally and taking appropriate action, but Sandoz questions the validity of this response and believes the councilman shoul...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 6, 2023 - On Motzei Shabbos, January 24, 2023, the social hall at Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion was filled with over 250 people celebrating BJSZ’s annual event, which honored Drs. Sam and Lorna Durso, and the fellows of the BJSZ Kollel: R' Yehuda Leib Birnbaum, R’ AJ Esral, R’ Nosson “Nate” Miller, R’ Mordy Pollock, and R’ Zvi Spiegel.The Dursos have been an integral part of BJSZ for many years, and they are treasured role models. The Kollel fellows enrich our shul nightly with their inspired shiurim and learning. The evening began with a buffet reception and then continued with a dinner, at which the guests were entertained by the wit of the MC, the inimitable Shimon Marciano. The program included a dynamic and uplifti...
Since the onset of Covid, obtaining an appointment at the US Embassy in Israel has been frustrating at best, and impossible at worst.  Although the Embassy tried various strategies to ease the process, such as Open Days for CRBA applications, demand has always seemed to outweigh the supply. As of February 6, the US Embassy in Israel has announced a new system for scheduling all types of appointments.  There are various questions as to how the new system will work. Chaim V’Chessed representatives are in contact with Embassy officials to clarify the details. The following is a preliminary explanation of the new process. First-time Passport/CRBA and Passport Renewal for Children under 16 Every Wednesday between 3 – 4 pm, new appointments will be released for...
Jerusaelm, Israel - Feb. 6, 2023 - The number of Tu Bishvat celebrations has grown over recent the years, with a wide variety of adaptations on the themes of the fruits of Eretz Yisrael and the new year of trees. On Sunday Erev Tu BiShvat, OU Israel hosted a special luncheon at Psagot Winery. The success of this initiative should make this premier program an annual event. The capacity crowd filled the Psagot main dining hall to honor outgoing OU Israel President Ziv Sand after his six years of service and leadership and his recovery from a serious medical episode. In addition, the event highlighted the 22nd anniversay of the Zula program for troubled Israeli youth, which has been a resounding success. Members of the Zula staff were invited, and they not only enjoyed the delicious meal but...
United Hatzalah of Israel, Israel's national volunteer EMS organization, is currently preparing to send a relief mission to Turkey following the earthquake that struck the province of Kahramanmaras last night. CEO of United Hatzalah Eli Pollack said: "As soon as we heard about the scale of the destruction and tragedy, we immediately began to assess the situation and prepare an advanced jump team to provide relief in the wake of the devastating earthquake that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people. During the early hours of the morning, I notified the Foreign Minister, the Defense Minister, the Health Minister, and the head of the National Security Council (NSC) that we are standing at the ready to send a relief mission consisting of doctors, paramedics, EMTs, members of the Psyc...
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