Posted on 03/12/23
Baltimore, MD - Mar. 12, 2023 - Just three short years ago, Summit Park was a real unknown in Baltimore's Orthodox community. Simply said, our community didn’t have a shul. We would walk to the next shul over, not an easy task at times. We needed something that was “ours,” and in our very own back-yard.
We pushed and worked hard, and launched Beis Medrash of Summit Park. We had growing pains, though.
We would struggle to find a minyan Friday night and Motzei Shabbos. We’d often have to wait for the tenth person to arrive, and then, we would daven in the basement of our fledgling shul. The eruv didn’t include our shul. And the thought of having a real Rav, a leader for us, was seemingly unattainable, let alone our own building.
Fast forward to today. Our wildest dreams are becoming a reality. We were once outliers, buying homes where we could just because of availability. But now, Summit Park is a vibrant community full of young families. We have outgrown the basement that we once called home and moved into a new (temporary) building.
The larger space is a real breath of fresh air, but it comes with some conditions. We’re borrowers, so we’re limited to only Shabbos davening. We have to come only an hour before Mincha and leave right away on Motzei Shabbos. We have to take apart the shul and reset it week after week.
We now have approximately 40 regulars, and have filled our new location. We are bringing in an amazing Rav this summer.
The time has come for us to move into a permanent home, to support the programming we currently have, and to help us add new programs to engage a larger cross section of the community.
Despite our challenges, our shul has become the hub of this growing community. We are an incredibly diverse group of people, but we belong and work well together. Our membership is made up largely of professionals. We are attorneys, doctors, salespeople, electricians, and stock traders. What ties us together is the desire to grow in our Yiddishkeit and remain as one community. Our individual strengths add up to the total beauty of our Kehilla. Our members have impressively committed themselves, with their funds, time, and expertise. We are constantly encouraged to push forward.
OUR RAV & FAMILY
The Marah D’asrah, Rav Yehoshua Heber and his Rebbetzin, have already left an indelible imprint on our Kehilla. The Rav's amkus and breadth of knowledge have been apparent since the moment we met him. Together with his standing as a real Talmid Chachum is his view on making an impact on each individual. His “quiet varmkeit” can be felt when he walks in the room. His ability to make everybody feel loved has shown through. We are confident that his influence will spread through our community and to the greater Baltimore community.
OUR VISION
Today, we host all minyanim on Shabbos, a weekly kiddush, shaloshs seudos and, during the winter, avos u’banim. We’ve leapt forward, but it is not yet the community hub that we need and want.
Our shul could be the heart of the community, if we work for it. We need minyanim 3 times a day. We need shiurim everyday. We need programming for the women and trips for the children.
THE ASK
Every community changes over time. The Summit Park community is still relatively small and going through its growth spurts. While our mispallelim have given and continue to donate whatever they can, we simply don’t have the ability to keep up with the unprecedented growth. Please help us as we embark on the next stages of maturation. Please help us as B’nei Aliyah to build a place that our community can call its home, where we can grow as individuals and continue to impact the community at large. Thank you and tizku l’mitzvos.
Click here to help us reach our goal
