Today is Shiva Asar B'Tammuz, the 17th of Tammuz, which marks the first day of The Three Week's period, leading up to Tisha Be'av. Of the 5 calamities recorded on this day, the first on the list is the "breaking of the Luchos."When Moshe Rabbeinu was on his way down the Mountain, he saw the people dancing around the Golden Calf. He threw the Luchos to the ground and they shattered.Rav Hirsch zt"l, in his collected writings, discusses that during this period of time, it is our job and duty to pick up those shards!It is our job and duty to pick up the broken pieces and build something with them. When a child makes a mess, a parent says, "Ok, sweetie. Now it's time to pick up all the pieces."During The Three Week's, Hashem, our loving Av/Father, is telling us, "My chi...
Baltimore, MD – July 23, 2024 - It is with regret that Baltimore Jewish Life (BJL) informs the community of the petira of Yosef Hershel Efron, z’l, father of Menashe Efron.
The levayah will be held in Kansas City, MO, Wednesday, July 24, 2024 @ 2:30 PM Central time / 3:30 PM Eastern time
Click here to watch livestream. Meeting ID: 810 0455 2784 Passcode: 653112
Shiva in Baltimore will be observed through Tuesday morning beginning with Mincha on Thursday, July 25 at 2503 Summerson Rd., Baltimore, MD, 21209
Visiting hours 10:00AM-12 Noon, 1:00PM – 4:00PM, after maariv - 7:15PM - 9:00 pm
Minyanim:
Mincha/Maariv: Thursday, Sunday, Monday 6:35pm (Plag)
Erev Shabbos Mincha: 7:00PM
Motzaei Shabbos: 9:05PM
Shacharis (Vasikin): Friday, Sun...
The Three Weeks, A Period of Mourning
Tuesday July 23 is the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, from early morning until evening. It is the day when the walls of Jerusalem were breached before the destruction. But this year, the ancient words "the walls were breached" have special significance. Imagine the walls protecting the city falling, and the Roman enemy simply entering, conquering, and destroying. Sounds familiar? That is what happened to us on Simchat Torah, when the walls in the south were breached.
The fast of the 17th of Tammuz symbolizes the beginning of the "Three Weeks," a period of mourning that lasts until the fast of the Ninth of Av, the day of the destruction of the Holy Temple and the beginning of the exile. This year, sadly, there is so much new mourning.
So, is the goal ju...
Baltimore, MD - July 23, 2024 - Boxes of various sweets, manufactured by Anabtawi Sweets Co, bear an unauthorized STAR-K sticker. These include Cashew Fingers, Mamoul, Baklava, Barazek and Kaeek with Date. Corrective action is being taken.
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has tendered her resignation amid scrutiny of security lapses related to the recent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, sources tell CNN.
The move comes as lawmakers and an internal government watchdog move forward with investigations into the agency’s handling of Trump’s protection and how a gunman came close to the killing the 2024 Republican presidential candidate at a rally in Pennsylvania this month.
There have been bipartisan calls in Congress for her resignation and a push by Republican lawmakers to impeach her. Lawmakers were particularly incensed after her appearance for public testimony in front of the House Oversight Commitee Monday, where she was unwilling to answer many of the committee&rsq...
Baltimore, MD - July 23, 2024 - Yeshivas Toras Simcha celebrated a milestone in its growth today with the graduation of the first eighth grade class. Under the direction of their rebbe, Rabbi Yitzi Shulman, the students completed Meseches Tamid for the sixth time and made a siyum at the graduation. Rabbi Hillel Shepard, menahel, welcomed all of the parents, grandparents and supporters and emphasized how these students are the torch bearers of the school. They have set the standard for hasmada (diligence) in learning and excellence in midos.
Following the siyum there was festive dancing and a seuda. Then the attendees were addressed by Rabbi Tzvi Teichman, Rav of Ohel Moshe, who emphasized the dedication of the parents who encouraged their sons’ gr...
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) on Monday argued Vice President Harris’s “deep empathy for the situation of Palestinian Americans” presents an opportunity to appeal to Muslim and Arab American voters who criticized President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Jayapal, speaking with MSNBC, said anchor Joy Reid’s reporting that Harris on the 2024 presidential ticket could reopen the door with Palestinian Americans is “absolutely right.”
“I do think she [Harris] has a deep empathy for the situation of Palestinian Americans. It’s more natural to her,” Jayapal said, reflecting on a recent discussion she had with Harris about the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“And so, I think these are things that ...
Today is Shiva Asar b’Tammuz, the first day of the annual Three Weeks of mourning. During this period, we commemorate the destruction of Yerushalayim and the mikdash along with many of our other national tragedies. We grieve over what we are missing and reflect on the ongoing state of our exile. This Shiva Asar b’Tammuz comes at a particularly challenging time. The war in Israel grinds on and we watch with trepidation as new battlefronts continue to open. While Divine Providence has assigned the United States government a critical role relative to the Jewish people and the State of Israel, that government has been shaken by the dramatic events of the past ten days. And tomorrow, Israel’s Prime Minister will address Congress seeking to strengthen America’s sup...
Fast of Shiva Asar B’Tammuz, Tuesday, July 23, 2024- Baltimore Zmanim: Fast Begins: Lemachmirim 4:20AM, Lemaykilim: 4:45AM Fast Ends: 9:10PM
Baltimore, MD - July 22, 2024 - Although the Three Weeks and the other two fasts are a period of mourning and introspection, Zechariah the Navi tells us (Zechariah 8:19) that eventually, the four fasts of Klal Yisroel will be a source of joy and gladness – if we but embark upon the goal of loving both truth and shalom. These two themes are central to Torah life. Rabbi Chaninah tells us (Shabbos 55a) that Hashem’s seal is truth. Shalom is also one of the names of Hashem, in addition to being a central theme of our daily Tefilos. If we learn to love these ideals – the fasts will be turned around.
...
US President Joe Biden is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday at the White House, a US official said on Monday night.
In addition, reported Channel 12 News, a meeting is being coordinated between Biden and families of hostages with US citizenship.
Netanyahu, who landed in Washington earlier on Monday ahead of his speech to Congress, was originally scheduled to meet Biden on Tuesday, but the meeting was postponed in the wake of Biden’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
A person familiar with Biden’s schedule said on Sunday that the meeting will take place as planned, despite Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.
Earlier, an aide to US Vice President Kamala Harris said she would meet Netanyahu this week at the White Ho...
In Memory of Rav Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg, zt'l, written on the Occasion of His Fifth Yahrzeit:
From a Mechutan's Perspective
by Rabbi Emanuel Feldman
I first met Rav Yaakov Weinberg long before he was the famous Rav Yaakov. I was a boy of 15, and he was a few years older. I had come from Baltimore to Mesivta Rabbi Chaim Berlin in New York for a year of high school, and Rav Hutner, the Rosh Hayeshiva, had assigned the young Yaakov Weinberg to be my mentor for a short while. Neither of us had any idea, of course, that many years later, he would become the husband of Chana Ruderman and ultimately the Rosh Hayeshiva of Ner Israel in Baltimore, and that I would become rabbi in Atlanta. And of course, the thought that some day our children would be married to one another, an...
Baltimore, MD - July 22, 2024 - On October 8th, the day following the October 7th massacre in Israel, Dr. Darren Klugman posted anti-Palestinian comments on social media. He was subsequently suspended, and Johns Hopkins President stated: “Johns Hopkins Medicine and Johns Hopkins University are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for working, learning and patient care for every member of our community and all those we serve,“ he wrote. “Statements that explicitly threaten or extol violence against groups or individuals on the basis of national origin, race or religion violate our policies and do not represent our values.”Dr. Klugman deleted his posts and publicly apologized. Today is July 21st, and Dr. Klugman is still suspended. Ever ...
Baltimore, MD - July 22, 2o24 - Dear Friends,
Thank you to all who attended the trial today. Your unwavering support is a genuine comfort in such difficult times.
A special thank you to Yitzy Schleifer and Shomrim for being there today.
Baltimore is watching. The judge, law enforcement, and community are watching.
How will the Jewish community respond when one of our own is taken senselessly?
We must show we won't tolerate crime. Stand with us tomorrow, starting at 9:00am, to send a powerful message of unity and determination. Tomorrow is the final day of this trial.
Location : Courtroom 225
Elijah E. Cummings Courthouse, 111 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Rides and Parking Info:
Rides are available each morning to court and at 4pm from court. Must reser...
In an unprecedented move, the gedolim of Eretz Yisroel have launched Keren Olam HaTorah, the largest fundraising campaign in Jewish history. This monumental effort comes in response to devastating budget cuts by the Israeli government which have left yeshivos and kollelim facing a staggering $107 million deficit.
As of April 1, Israel’s Supreme Court froze all funding for bochurim and yungerleit between the ages of 18-26, affecting over 50,000 bochurim and avreichim across more than 1,500 institutions.
BOCHURIM AND AVREICHIM ARE STARVING
The effect of these cuts was immediately felt. Yeshivos are rationing food, electricity, and the air conditioning, leaving bochurim hungry and sweltering in the Israeli heat. Kollelim have been forced to close down and thousands of avreichim...
Baltimore, MD – July 21, 2024 - It is with regret that Baltimore Jewish Life (BJL) informs the community of the petira of Yosef Hershel Efron, z’l, father of Menashe Efron.
The levayah will be held in Kansas City, MO.
Shiva details forthcomng
Bila HaMaves LaNetzach…
Baltimore, MD - July 20, 2024 - In Baltimore City, 106 people have been killed in 2024.
The city is on pace yet again to see less than 300 homicides.
Some are optimistic the number could even be less than 200.
One community is hoping their number stays at zero.
"We're the largest community in Baltimore City with zero homicides," said Doc Cheatham.
Doc Cheatham is president of the Matthew Henson community in the Western district.
He says they've reduced their own homicide rate without any help from the city.
"So, we created our own crime plan and no one in Baltimore City has a bigger community and lower crime than we do," he said.
Mayor Brandon Scott credits the city's Group Violence Reduction Strategy for the drop in homicides.
"The residents of Baltimore shou...
Big Lots is closing three Maryland stores, including one in Baltimore County.
The store in Reisterstown, at the Reisterstown Shopping Center near Cherry Hill Road, will close soon, according to the company's website.
Other Baltimore-area Big Lots stores are not affected, according to the site.
Two stores in Laurel and in southern Maryland are also closing.
Big Lots said earlier this month it may have to close up to 4
The gunman in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is believed to have flown a drone around the Pennsylvania rally site ahead of time in an apparent attempt to scope out the site before the event, a law enforcement official said Saturday.
The drone has been recovered by the FBI, which is leading the investigation into last Saturday's shooting at the rally by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Crooks fired multiple rounds from the roof of a building adjacent to the Butler Farm Show grounds, where Trump was speaking, before being fatally shot by a Secret Service counter sniper. The existence of the device and its use at some point before the shooting could help explain why Crooks knew to fire from the point.
This aerial photo of the Butler Farm Show...
Israeli Olympians taking part in Paris 2024 have received death threats, hate message and vitriol online over the last few days, Israeli and foreign media reported on Saturday.
Walla reported that, over the weekend, Israeli athletes received online messages written in poor Hebrew. Many also received calls from foreign numbers. On Thursday and Friday, 15 athletes and their teams received identical death threats via email, warning them they would be killed if they arrived in France, Walla reported.
The anonymous email said that the sender intended to harm “any Israeli presence at the Olympics” and said that if any Israeli delegates attended, they would be harmed. The email threatened to repeat the action of Munich 1972 and told the athletes to &ld...
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has warned that if the Biden administration imposes sanctions on Israeli government ministers, Israel will respond by "completely dismantling the Palestinian Authority, including all its institutions and economy."
In response to recent reports that the Biden administration is considering imposing sanctions on Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Minister Ben-Gvir issued a strong statement on Saturday condemning the potential move. The administration’s reported frustration with the Israeli government's policy of expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the ministers' support for such actions has led to discussions of escalating measures against them.
According to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, who ci...
