Baltimore, MD - May 19, 2017 - On Sunday, May 21 - Monday, May 22, BJSZ will be conducting a 24-hour online fundraiser, where every donation to BJSZ will, IY”H, be quadrupled, thanks to a number of extraordinarily generous sponsors.  BJSZ thanks its wonderful sponsors of this online fundraiser for their leadership and support! This special online fundraiser event will be an incredible opportunity to show your support and gratitude to BJSZ.  Your generosity is urgently needed, greatly appreciated and will enable us to continue making BJSZ’s services available to you and to the community.  During this online fundraiser, BJSZ will be reaching out to the BJSZ family - and to the broader community -- for support.

 

What BJSZ means to the community

BJSZ serves not only its members, but the broader Jewish community, with Torah and Tefillah every day, all day.  It also provides widely attended educational events for the entire community hosting speakers such as Rabbi Berel Wein, Rabbi Aron Lopiansky, Rabbi Yissochar Frand, Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz, Rabbi Paysach Krohn, Rabbi Lawrence Keleman, Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky, Dr. David Pelcovitz, Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, Rabbi Hanoch Teller, Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, Mrs. Shira Smiles, Mrs. Sara Yocheved Rigler and many others.  Our renewed shul facility is an anchor of stability for the Park Heights community, and serves the community as a whole as the venue of choice for large communal gatherings.  In fact, in addition to BJSZ’s own events, BJSZ constantly serves as the venue for a host of such opportunities provided by other organizations. 

BJSZ is proud to be THE home of Baltimore's Rebbetzin Frieda K. Hirmes Women's Institute of Torah, hosting hundreds of women weekly for learning opportunities. 

BJSZ leads by example in areas such as Tzedakah and Chessed, support for Eretz Yisroel, and activism on behalf of Jewish and communal interests here and in Israel.  Towards that end, BJSZ cultivates leadership for the entire community, successfully encouraging its membership to be involved and give of themselves way beyond our shul.

Perhaps most significantly, BJSZ tries to cultivate a tone that is felt beyond its walls -- a tone of inspiring Yiddishkeit, of warmth and inclusion, of outreach to all Jews, and of concern for Jews the world over.

Hakaros HaTov to Rabbi Hauer

Rabbi Hauer is one of the indispensable leaders of our community who individuals, families and organizations depend on, and rely upon, for sage advice and counsel. 

No matter how busy Rabbi Hauer is (and he has no “down time”), he always gives you a warm, easy smile and seemingly has all the time in the world for you.  So much of what Rabbi Hauer does is quiet and private but each of us knows (many from personal experience) that he has, for very many years, helped individuals, families and organizations with a myriad of challenges.  His natural optimism brings joy, simchas hachaim and menuchas hanefesh to people in all walks of life – from young to old.  His kindness has touched and transformed lives; his thoughtfulness has enriched and ennobled our community; and his words and actions have uplifted and made a profound and positive difference, in the lives of our kehillah and the broader Jewish world.  Some people make money or widgets; Rabbi Hauer makes people.  

During times of crisis in our community and the Jewish world, Rabbi Hauer galvanizes, inspires and comforts our community.  Rabbi Hauer has often quoted Rabbi Naftoli Neuberger, z’l, about being a baal achrayus, one who assumes responsibility.  Emulating Rabbi Neuberger, Rabbi Hauer spearheads difficult, but necessary, leadership roles in our community with impeccable ehrlichkeit / integrity.  Rabbi Hauer is a big picture person who, simultaneously, is also meticulous about the details.  Rabbi Hauer has invested enormous time and energy on a leadership level in our community with numerous community organizations, including serving for over a decade as Chairman of the Vaad HaChinuch at Talmudical Academy of Baltimore. He is actively involved in communal initiatives addressing special needs in education and teens-at-risk. Rabbi Hauer is a member of the Editorial Board of the internationally acclaimed Klal Perspectives Journal.  In addition, Rabbi Hauer is active in mentoring and training young rabbis.  Rabbi Hauer founded “The Rabbinic and Communal Leadership Initiative,” a leadership training program for post-graduate rabbinic students in Baltimore who are preparing for careers in various areas of communal leadership, including the pulpit rabbinate, school administration, and outreach.  He has developed this training program for future leaders designed to help them develop the basic skill set necessary for communal leadership, as well as an awareness and understanding of the myriad issues that they may face.   

Rabbi Hauer is an extraordinary מרביץ תורה.  Over the course of, Boruch Hashem, more than twenty-three wonderful years – first leading Bnai Jacob and then BJSZ -- Rabbi Hauer has transformed BJSZ into an educational center, where classes and educational programs occupy the facility daily from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Rabbi Hauer’s fascinating classes (more than twenty hours of classes a week) have earned kudos across the spectrum of our community.  Rabbi Hauer offers many innovative classes with a variety of topics: classes which interest young and old, advanced learners and beginners – and often, all of these different types of people in the same class. 

Rabbi Hauer has been an energetic advocate for Torah growth in the Baltimore community. Rabbi Hauer is passionate about Torah and Eretz Yisroel and we feel that excitement (his frequent working missions to Israel are not intended for the sleep-needy types).  He has worked tirelessly for the well-being of Baltimore, Israel, and Jews across the globe. To that end, Rabbi Hauer has represented Klal Yisroel at all levels of U.S. and Israel politics, and has, together with BJSZ, brought esteemed Rabbonim and speakers from across the world to present important Torah and political issues to the Baltimore community.

Our entire community has benefited immeasurably from BJSZ and Rabbi Hauer.  Please help us ensure the continued viability of BJSZ so we can continue to support Rabbi Hauer in his Avodas Hakodesh (holy work).

Please support BJSZ by participating in this 24-hour online fundraiser event which is our Shul’s most significant and essential fundraiser.