Baltimore, MD - Feb. 20, 2024:
Jewish Community Phone Campaign to Senator Chris Van Hollen
(scroll down for background)
In continuing our campaign of calling our elected officials to voice our (and seek their) support for Israel, we request that everyone take out the time now and over the next couple of weeks to call the office of Senator Chris Van Hollen - 202-224-4654 - and relay the following message:
“Hello, my name is ______ and I am a Jewish Marylander. I would like to voice our deep concern and disappointment in Senator Van Hollen’s one-sided perspectives on the Israel-Gaza situation. He seems to never miss an opportunity to criticize and rebuke Israel, and his recent statement that Israel is committing a ‘textbook war cri...
Baltimore, MD – Feb. 20, 2024 - It is with regret that Baltimore Jewish Life (BJL) informs the community of the petira of Rabbi Chaim Berger, zt"l, esteemed Rabbi in Kansas City for many years, and father of HaRav Yosef Berger.
Shiva is being observed at 6303 Western Run Drive - starting this morning (Tuesday, Feb. 20) through Wednesday morning.
The family requests no visitors on Tuesday between 11:30am -1:30 pm
Minyanim
Shachris (Tuesday and Wednesday) - 7:00 AM
Mincha / Maariv (Tuesday) 5:30 PM
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at a FOX45 News Your Voice, Your Future Town Hall that his vision of juvenile justice reform focuses on accountability for both the juvenile justice system and the youth involved with it.
Moore was joined by Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates and Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy.
"Our job is to make sure our communities are safe," said Gov. Moore.
"We have to look at holding young people accountable. So, a lot of times, I understand the diversion, and that's important. But, also, where's the restitution gonna come from," said Bates.
"By the end of this General Assembly, we are going to have a bill that is going to be strong, that is going to focus on the key thing that I said any bill dealing with juven...
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February 20 at 12:39 pm
Award from the Federal Rail Vehicle Replacement Program Key to Improving Accessibility, Safety and Reliability with New, Low-Floor Vehicles
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 20, 2024 - – The Maryland Transit Administration has been awarded $213,696,341 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration’s Rail Vehicle Replacement program. The grant will support the Maryland Transit Administration’s efforts to replace all 52 aging Light Rail vehicles in its fleet with new, modern railcars. The State of Maryland is providing $90 million in matching funds and allocating $127.6 million in federal formula funds to the project to complement the federal grant, which was made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. T...
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February 20 at 12:23 pm
Youth applications for the 2024 Baltimore County Summer Youth Employment Program are currently being accepted. Interested youths may apply online. Applications will be accepted until April 12.
Subscribe to the Youth Connections e-newsletter to receive future information about opportunities for youth. The Youth Services Unit provides support for programs that engage eligible young people between the ages of 14 and 24 who are in school, have graduated or dropped out of high school, by providing valuable education, training, counseling and work-based learning opportunities.
Baltimore County will be offering this six-week program from July 1 through August 9, for ages 14 to 21. Youth will work virtually or in person, earning $15 an hour for up to 25 hours per w...
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February 20 at 12:21 pm
The US today (Tuesday) vetoed the draft resolution put forward by Algeria at the UN Security Council that demanded an immediate ceasefire in the war in Gaza between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization.
13 nations voted in favor of the ceasefire resolution, while the UK abstained.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield said following the vote, "In recent weeks we have been very clear that this proposal will not pass and is contrary to a sustainable peace agreement."
She added, "We hope that the Council will adopt our proposed resolution so that we can reach a temporary ceasefire under which all the abductees will be released and humanitarian aid will be delivered to Palestinian citizens who desperately need it."
According to her, "We should finally condemn Hamas for the...
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February 20 at 12:18 pm
Jerusalem, Israel - Feb. 20, 2024 - A shooting attack has been reported at the Shivte Israel stop of the Jerusalem light rail.
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February 20 at 12:14 pm
The Gemara in Megillah 6b says that it is forbidden to eulogize and fast on the fourteenth and fifteenth of the first Adar.
The Rosh in Megillah in Perek 1, siman 7 says that this halacha applies only in the following scenario: Klal Yisroel already read the Megillah on the fourteenth of Adar and in the middle of the day Bais Din decides to make it a leap year. In such an instance one is not allowed to fast or eulogize. In the event that the Megillah was not read when they announce the leap year, then one would be able to fast or eulogize someone.
The Tur 697 brings down the Rif, Rambam and the S’mag who argue with this and say that it would be ...
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February 20 at 12:13 pm
Shalom Sivan,My name is Hallel, the fiancee of Nethanel Eitan, z'l, HY”D, who fell in Gaza on Hanukkah. I would be pleased if the following excerpt from his diary would be shared in order to spread his light. May we hear good news. Am Yisrael chai.Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains.Jerusalem is a symbol of life.She is so beautiful, and with such unique beauty.She does not have the tallest mountain in the world.She does not have an impressive mountain glacier either.Her mountains, in fact, are average.Despite all this, she is the most beautiful city in the world.True beauty comes from within and radiates outwards.To see the beauty in someone else, you have to look inside.A husband who sees the beauty in his wife will always see it, no matter how many years have passed.Thi...
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February 20 at 11:38 am
Having a child is expensive.
On average, labor and delivery cost an average of $2,850 after insurance.
That's why Senators Justin Ready and Ariana Kelly want to require insurance companies to cover everything.
"I thought if we could do this, it would really send a strong message about the importance we place on having children and having that early childhood development that we know is so important," said Ready, a Republican from Carroll and Frederick counties.
Maryland already requires some other reproductive services to be fully covered, like abortions and vasectomies.
"So it was apparent to me that there [were] some inequalities in terms of labor and delivery costs," said Senator Kelly, a Democrat from Montgomery County.
The bills for having a kid don't stop with l...
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February 20 at 10:38 am
Baltimore, MD – Feb. 20, 2024 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Rivi and Eli Bogart on the birth of a son.
Mazel Tov to grandparents Phil & Rivka Bogart and Steve Goloskov and Rina Schiff.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD – Feb. 20, 2024 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to to Mr. and Mrs. Zelig Davidson on the birth of a daughter.
Mazel Tov grandparents Yaakov & Breindy Davidson and Gobbie & Shayna Cohn and great-grandparents Mrs. Florence (Ralph, z’l) Davidson, Mr. Louis and Mrs. Helen Kaplan, Mrs. Bracha (Avi, z’l) Strimber and Jeff & Karen Cohn.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Israel believes Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar fled the Gaza Strip for Egypt, said Arabic online newspaper Elaph.
According to the report, the Hamas chief could have taken an unspecified number of hostages with him. He is believed to have crossed the border through a tunnel he entered in the Refah area with his brother and sister.
The report suggested Israel knows of eight tunnels allowing even a car to be transported across the Egyptian border.
Earlier in February, Israel gained footage showing Sinwar in the tunnels beneath Khan Yunis, a source confirmed to i24NEWS. He was previously reported not participating in the hostage deal and ceasefire negotiations and to have gone incommunicado.
Meanwhile, Hamas is said to be searching for Sinwar's replacement. ...
154 presidential specialists, current and recent members of the American Political Science Association, participated in a new survey concluding Donald Trump was the worst United States president in the history of the country.
The historians were asked to give every president a score, from 0 to 100. Abraham Lincoln topped the list with an average score of 95. Trump's averaged just under 11 points.
Current U.S. President Biden scored an average of 62.66, which put him on the 14th place - two spots above Ronald Reagan.
In the top-10, Lincoln was followed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Harry S. Truman, Barack Obama, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy.
The poll comes as the U.S. presidential election are...
Hamas planned to reach a maximum security prisoner in southern Israel, during its October 7 surprise infiltration, sources from the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday night.
According to the report, a squad of 23 "elite" members of the Al-Qassam Brigades were meant to attack Shikma prison in Ashkelon and if successful another Hamas squad would join them, but eventually did not make it due to a "defect."
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“The group actually set off towards Ashkelon and crossed the border, from the direction of the [Kibbutz] Yad Mordechai, and there it clashed with an Israeli force and killed a number of its members, but for a reason that is still unknown, the group deviated from its path towards Kibbutz [Netiv HaAsara]...
Baltimore, MD - Feb. 19, 2024 - This weekend Rabbi Yonah Sklare had the pleasure of guest-lecturing in the White Shul of Far Rockaway. NY. Enjoy his presentations, below:
Not in Hashem's Name- A Torah View on Religious Violence in the Context of Oct. 7
Hint to Hamas Hostages in Torah
Jerusalem, Israel - Feb. 19, 2024 - A unique US passport event took place in the Chaim V’Chessed offices on Monday, February 5. In recent years, it has been challenging to obtain appointments for first-time passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA) for newborn babies born to US citizens in Israel. With the Pesach travel season approaching, families have been anxious to obtain passports for their children.
Towards this end, Chaim V’Chessed hosted the US embassy for a remarkable passport application event. At the event, families with newborn babies were able to apply for CRBAs and first-time passports. Additionally, applications were also accepted for siblings of these newborns.
Twenty members of the US Embassy staff, led by Mr. Wilbur Zehr, Chief...
Vaccines that protect against severe illness, death and lingering long Covid symptoms from a coronavirus infection were linked to small increases in neurological, blood, and heart-related conditions in the largest global vaccine safety study to date.
The rare events — identified early in the pandemic — included a higher risk of heart-related inflammation from mRNA shots made by Pfizer Inc., BioNTech SE, and Moderna Inc., and an increased risk of a type of blood clot in the brain after immunization with viral-vector vaccines such as the one developed by the University of Oxford and made by AstraZeneca Plc.
The viral-vector jabs were also tied to an increased risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder in...
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February 19 at 12:29 pm
I recently drove on my own from Brooklyn to Monsey for a wedding. I wanted to listen to 10 minute mini-shiurim but because I was driving alone, I would not be able to manipulate my phone to switch from one shiur to the next. Thanks to the new TorahApp, I had no problem. This new app is an all-in-one Torah tool that automatically moves from one shiur to the next so you can binge listen to shiurim. While the app has many more features than this, binge listening was its origin.
Josh Herzberg, a software engineer in Big Tech who helped build Sefaria’s first app while in college, realized while commuting that he could not binge listen to shiurim. Finding no readily available solution, he decided to build his own app to do that. Given his backgro...
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February 19 at 12:05 pm
Jerusalem, Israel - Feb. 19, 2024 - This display is now in the National Library of Israel:
For too long, an unthinkable number of men, women, and children have been kept away from their homes and loved ones.
Every person is a world unto themselves.
A book awaits each one of the hostages.
Some books were selected by relatives, others chosen according to individual personal interests and hobbies; and still others selected based on the spirit, title, or content of the book.
We await their safe return so that they may all continue to read and write the story of their lives.
This story must have a happy ending.
