Jewish New Yorkers are buying firearms and seeking training in anticipation of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani taking office, fearing a rise in antisemitic incidents and reduced police protection.
Michael Bergida, 30, recently opened Samson Armory, a gun shop in Marine Park, Brooklyn - the first new gun store in the borough in more than 50 years. The Orthodox Jewish owner said business has surged since Mamdani’s election victory, with everyone from elderly community members to Rabbis seeking firearms and training.
“We’re probably the only gun store to have a minyan,” Bergida told the New York Post, referring to the prayer quorum required in Judaism. He said many of his customers express anxiety over the incoming administration, predicting “chaos” and c...
While diplomatic efforts are being made to disarm Hamas, Kan News revealed on Sunday that the terrorist organization has begun stockpiling advanced weapons outside of the Gaza Strip for when it is needed.
According to the report, the weapons are being stockpiled in Africa, Yemen, and other supportive countries. They are intended to be transported and smuggled later to strategic locations, including the Gaza Strip.
The report noted that the operations are taking place precisely as discussions about disarming Hamas intensify, serving as evidence of the organization’s intent to preserve and rebuild its military capabilities in the post-war period as part of a long-term strategy.
About a week and a half ago, it was revealed that Austria’s domestic intelligence service ...
The Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday it is lifting all restrictions on commercial flights that were imposed at 40 major airports during the country’s longest government shutdown.
Airlines can resume their regular flight schedules beginning Monday at 6 a.m. EST, the agency said.
The announcement was made in a joint statement by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
Citing safety concerns as staffing shortages grew at air traffic control facilities during the shutdown, the FAA issued an unprecedented order to limit traffic in the skies. It had been in place since Nov. 7, affecting thousands of flights across the country.
Impacted airports included large hubs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
The...
Baltimore, MD – Nov. 16, 2025 - 6:55PM- (BJL) A vehicle has overturned on Reisterstown Road between Fallstaff Road and Labyrinth Road. Avoid the area.
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November 16 at 12:09 pm
Baltimore, MD - Nov. 16, 2025 - Yeshivas Toras Simcha’s first-grade students celebrated receiving their first Chumash this morning. Under the direction of their rebbe, Rabbi Tuvia Tessler, and assistant Dovid Berendt, the boys entertained their parents and grandparents with songs and dancing in honor of the occasion. They also began learning Parshas Breishis, bringing much nachas to their families.
Baltimore, MD - Nov. 15, 2025 - As winter approaches, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration is taking proactive measures to ensure road safety.
Charlie Gishler from the State Highway Administration explained the agency's efforts to maintain state-numbered non-toll highways, including major routes like Maryland 45, Maryland 139, and interstates such as I-695 and I-83.
"Our role is to make sure we continue to make sure the pavement is safe and passable," Gishler said, emphasizing the importance of keeping roads clear for first responders and essential travelers.
Before a storm, the administration collaborates with a contractor meteorologist to track weather patterns.
"We have a pre-storm meeting with all the decision makers, all the mainten...
Brooklyn, NY - Nov. 16, 2025 - Antisemitic graffiti was found scrawled on a sidewalk in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn over the weekend.
New York City Council member Lincoln Restler shared footage of the graffiti on social media, noting NYC Sanitation promptly cleaned the sidewalk.
“Antisemitic incidents are a majority of the hate crimes in NYC. All NYers - including Jewish NYers - must feel safe,” wrote Restler.
The incident was condemned by local leaders, including Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who is known for his anti-Israel stance and whose election has prompted concerns of a rise in antisemitism in the city.
“Another horrific act of antisemitism on our streets. We cannot stand for this,” Mamdani wrote on X.
Also condemning th...
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to reach an agreement with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that would allow Saudi Arabia to purchase F-35 fighter jets.
The deal is worth tens of billions of dollars and could change the balance of power in the Middle East.
"They wanna buy a lot of jets," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One."I'm looking at that. They've asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of '35' - but they want to buy actually more than that, fighter jets. We have the best planes, the best missiles; you saw it when we destroyed Iran's nuclear capability," he added.
Israel was the first country outside the United States to receive the F-35, and the aircraft entered operational use in the Israeli Air Force in December 2017 under the ...
Baltimore, MD – Nov. 14, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Shlomo and Gitti Salb on the birth of a son.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בנם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
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November 14 at 11:03 am
Baltimoire, MD - Nov. 14, 2025 - Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is under fire after a video surfaced from Sunday's Commanders game, where the governor took a jab at President Donald Trump.
During the game, Moore recorded a video in the governor's suite, saying, "I just wanna remind people, welcome to Maryland and I'm proud to be the commander in chief of the Maryland National Guard."
This comment drew criticism from some, including Del. Ryan Nawrocki, who said, "He's been a failed leader of the National Guard. Under his leadership, we are now the only state in the country without an Air Guard unit."
Nawrocki accused Moore of losing the unit due to "silly fights with Donald Trump."
The controversy was further fueled by Russell Ellis, known as 'Jolly Good Ginger,&...
US President Donald Trump urged Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to move toward normalization with Israel during a phone call last month, Axios reported on Thursday, citing two senior US officials. The conversation, which had not been previously disclosed, took place following the Gaza peace summit in Egypt.
According to a US official with direct knowledge of the call, Trump told MBS he had succeeded in ending the war in Gaza and now expected Saudi Arabia to take steps toward normalization. MBS reportedly responded that he was willing to work on the matter with the Trump administration.
The Saudi embassy in Washington declined to comment.
According to Axios, US officials are hoping for progress on the issue ahead of next week’s Trump-MBS meeting&nbs...
Baltimore, MD – Nov. 13, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Baruch Cenker (Atlanta) and Neshama Lebowitz (Baltimore) on their engagement!
Mazel Tov to Michael & Betsy Cenker and Dr. Michael & Rachel Lebowitz
יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן!
The G-d of heaven—who took me from my father’s house and from my native land, who promised me on oath, saying, ‘I will assign this land to your offspring’—He will send you His angel before you, and you will get a wife for my son from there. (בראשית כד ז)
Avraham Avinu entrusts his loyal servant/disciple, Eliezer, to select a suitable wife for his beloved son, Yitzchok, from his native land, his birthplace. He makes Eliezer take an oath that he will be loyal to his objective and deviate an iota.
Avraham seems to be assuring him with certainty that he will succeed. How could he have been so confident?
Chizkuni suggests that Avraham received a prophecy to this effect and was thus counting on its fulfillment. He supports this idea from a later verse th...
Baltimore, MD – Nov. 13, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Pini and Adrienne Zimmerman on the birth of a daughter.
יה"ר שיזכו לגדל בתם לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים. אמן!
Baltimore, MD - Nov. 13, 2025 - Traffic heading north from Baltimore toward Philadelphia, Lakewood, Brooklyn, and beyond has been extremely heavy on Erev Shabbos — and with Shabbos now starting so early, even a small delay can mean a chance of chilul Shabbos, chas V'Shalom.
Plan ahead, leave extra time, and don’t cut it close. Last week, after receiving the BJL WhatsApp Traffic Alert about the traffic situation, pictured here, several families were forced to turn around and head back to Baltimore because they simply couldn’t make it in time.
Let’s make sure the Erev Shabbos rush doesn’t turn into an Erev Shabbos regret. Leave early — arrive calm.From a BJL reader:I left Baltimore last Erev Shabbos with plenty of time to arrive to NJ before S...
Dear Friends,
I'd like to share a quote with you:
Years of having the responsibility to deliver eulogies taught me how to look at others. The maspid is instructed to speak positively and generously of the niftar while avoiding exaggeration (Yoreh Deah 344:1). Though some might consider this impossible...given the responsibility to uncover the good in others, we can easily see how every person has unique strengths and qualities, even though left to our own devices we will usually focus on the negatives.
It's a quote that tells you much about the one who said it.
This week, we learn about the power of a hesped and the two words used by the Torah, "lispod leSarah v'livkosah" might well be referencing to these two components: one is to express the magn...
Baltimore, MD – Nov. 13, 2025 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Yisroel Meir Sofer (Jackson) and Hudi Sandhaus (Baltimore) on their engagement!
Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Moshe & Malkie Sandhaus and Rabbi & Mrs. Binyomin & Batsheva Sofer.
יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן!
