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When one of our babies needs help, we all show up
That's what our community does. We take care of each other, especially the littlest ones.
Right now, a 3-month-old baby named Baruch is in the hospital fighting a serious kidney condition. His treatments aren't fully covered, and no family should have to carry that alone.
So let's carry it together. Every gift, big or small, helps a family focus on what matters most: getting their baby healthy and home.
I look at my tiny baby sleeping peacefully in the ICU.
But my heart knows the truth this is only the beginning of our battle.
A battle for his life and for my strength to keep going.
My name is Miriam.
My baby’s name is Baruch.
He is only two months ...
Dictionary.com has named “maxxing” its 2026 Word of the Year, recognizing a popular online trend centered on maximizing or improving different aspects of life.
Derived from “maximizing,” the term is paired with other words to describe specific goals. “Looksmaxxing” focuses on improving physical appearance, “sleepmaxxing” on getting better sleep, and “gymmaxxing” on improving fitness. The trend has spread across social media, with some variations focused on serious self-improvement and others taking a more humorous approach to everyday activities.
So, what about Torahmaxxing? It could mean adding another chavrusa, squeezing a few extra minutes of learning into the day, or finding more opportunities to do chessed. If people are lo...
President Donald Trump renewed his public endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, urging Israelis to reelect him in Tuesday’s election and declaring that the two leaders must “finish the job” against Iran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump repeated an endorsement he first issued a week earlier, saying he and Netanyahu had worked well together and describing the Israeli prime minister as an “outstanding warrior prime minister.”
Trump credited their partnership with military operations against Iran, claiming that the country’s military and economy had been severely weakened. He also pointed to the naval blockade and the removal of senior Iranian leaders as evidence of the campaign’s impact.
“Vote for Bibi Netanyahu...
Hashem is different. He is unlike anything in the world He created. No physical description captures His essence. Whenever we describe Him, we rely upon approximations, using language and images that the human mind can comprehend. Hashem exists beyond human experience and understanding.
So are we. Hashem created us different from the natural world. He gifted us with traits which distinguish us from the rest of creation: self-awareness, complex emotions, cognitive speech, creativity, imagination, dreams, and social and political instincts.
Chief among these qualities is our free will. We can choose between right and wrong. Hashem implanted within us a moral instinct to distinguish good from evil. He also revealed His will to help us navigate a complex world.
The gift of free will lends...
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center is notifying 3,182 patients that some of their personal health information may have been exposed after a hospital worker uploaded a spreadsheet of patient data to an outside artificial intelligence tool that the hospital had not approved.
The hospital said it discovered the problem on September 21, 2026, during an internal review. According to the report, the upload took place that same day.
The spreadsheet covered patients who were admitted and treated at the hospital between May and September of this year.
Information that may have been exposed includes patient names, admission and treatment dates, medical record numbers, account numbers, the department that provided treatment, medications given and the names of providers.
The hospital said the sp...
Baltimore, MD – October 26, 2026 - A person of interest was taken into custody after a fire broke out Sunday evening at a mosque on Harford Road in East Baltimore.
Firefighters responded shortly after 5 p.m. to the 2600 block of Harford Road, near Clifton Park, where the building was engulfed in flames. Crews worked to extinguish the fire, and police took a person of interest into custody in connection with the incident.
No injuries were reported. Authorities have not released further details about the investigation, and the cause of the fire has not been confirmed.
This article was independently written by the BJL Newsroom based on reporting from The Baltimore Sun and WBFF.
Three Small Stories, One Important Message
The following are three special messages I received this week which I’d like to share here. Each is beautiful and moving in its own right, but together they reminded me of our strength and unity—and of something we may have lost sight of amid the election campaigning.
1. The first message came from Sderot. A group of tenth-grade girls from the city's Be’eri Ulpana recently took a trip to Kiryat Shmona. They encountered a city coming back to life, with new families moving in, but they also saw the enormous challenges it still faces. So they decided to return this week, this time with a different purpose.
"We're heading to Kiryat Shmona, all the way from Sderot, for three days of volunteering and community service. ...
Baltimore, MD – October 24, 2026 - BJL regrets to inform the community of the petirah of Fred Edinger z"l, father of Naftoli Edinger.
Naftoli is currently sitting shiva in Monsey. He will return to Baltimore for a 10:00 pm Maariv on Tuesday night and will continue sitting shiva at his home, 2934 Bartol Avenue, through Thursday morning.
Davening Schedule:Tuesday - Maariv: 10:00 pmWednesday and Thursday - Shacharis: 7:30 amWednesday - Mincha/Maariv: 5:55 pm
בלע המות לנצח
Baltimore, MD – October 25, 2026 - The Baltimore community is invited to a special Hilula Seudah tonight, Sunday, October 25, marking the yahrzeit of Hagaon Rav Michoel Eliezer HaKohen Forshlager, zt”l, a distinguished talmid of the Avnei Nezer, zt”l.
The seudah will take place at 8:30 PM at Kahal Chassidim, located at 6004 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, under the leadership of Rabbi Amram Yosef HaLevi Jungreis, shlit”a.
In conjunction with the yahrzeit, the cemetery will remain open throughout Sunday night and all day Monday for those wishing to daven at Rav Forshlager's kever, which is known as a place of tefillah and yeshuos.
Cemetery Location:3701 Southern AvenueBaltimore, MD 21206
For additional information, sponsorship opportunities, or dedications l...
A Baltimore County mother says she fears for her children’s safety after a man living in a sewer near her home allegedly spoke to them and chased them down the street.
Unique Wiggins said she initially did not believe her children when they described their encounters with the man. After hearing similar complaints at least four times, she decided to investigate herself.
"It was a Friday, and my daughter, who is 21, called and she was panicking. And I asked, 'What's wrong?' And she said, 'Mom, I'm scared. The man told me I can't walk right here and to just dip.' And I'm like, 'What man?' And she was like, 'The man in the sewer.'"
"I walk over to the little manhole sewer thing, and I hear somebody singing, and I think, �...
Karthikeyan Deenadayalan, chief engineer of the Dali cargo ship involved in the deadly 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, was prevented from boarding a flight from India to Baltimore earlier this week by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Deenadayalan had been visiting family in India, and his attorneys said the reason for the travel restriction has not been made public.
Deenadayalan entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in June 2026 over his role in the case. The Dali lost power and struck the Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, killing six construction workers and closing the Port of Baltimore’s main shipping channel for weeks.
According to the Justice Department, Deenadayalan admitted that he knew the ship was using an unsafe fuel supply pump and failed to notify the U.S...
Baltimore, MD – October 23, 2026 - Torah Institute/Yeshivas Kochav Yitzchak kicked off its annual Chemdas Mishnayos program on Thursday with an inspiring BYOM (Bring Your Own Mishnayos) event. Nearly 600 talmidim in grades 3–8 gathered in the gym for a tremendous Maamad HaTorah, collectively learning well over 1,000 perakim of Mishnayos.
The Chemdas Mishnayos program, established many years ago by Rabbi Juravel, is now led by Sgan Menahel Rabbi Reischer. The special gathering featured divrei chizzuk from fifth-grade Rebbi Rabbi Heineman, who encouraged the boys to strengthen their commitment to Torah learning and make the most of the opportunities ahead.
Adding to the excitement, each talmid received a bag of chips and a can of soda to celebrate the occasion.
The powerful si...
Baltimore, MD – October 23, 2026 – BJL regrets to inform the community of the petira of Mrs. Anita Polovoy, a”h, who served as the Executive Secretary at TA for over 35 years.
The levaya will take place on Sunday, October 25, at 10:00 a.m. at Sol Levinson’s.
Kevurah will take place at Hebrew Young Men’s Cemetery, 5824 Windsor Mill Road, Gwynn Oak, MD 21207.
בלע המות לנצח ומחה ה׳ דמעה מעל כל פנים
Baltimore, MD – October 23, 2026 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Rafi & Chedva Cohn on the birth of a daughter.
Mazel Tov to grandparents Jeff Cohn (Karen, a’h) and Rabbi & Mrs. Zvi & Esti Zuravin.
!יה"ר שיזכו לגדל את בתם לתורה, לחופה ולמעשים טובים. אמן
Baltimore, MD – October 23, 2026 – BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Akiva Feldman on the birth of a baby boy.
Mazel Tov to the grandparents, Jonathan and Judy Feldman.יה״ר שיזכו לגדלו לתורה, לחופה ולמעשים טובים. אמן.
I have always been amazed by how what I was learning on a particular week had direct relevance to what was going on in my life or the world at the same time. As one example, eight years ago when my first grandson was born. It just happened that three weeks later in the Parsha Hashavua was the mitzvah of Pidyan Haben, exactly while we were planning that event for our new grandson. Or how Shaluach Hakan appeared just as we went camping and happened upon a bird on its eggs. People that learn Daf Yomi find this happening with startling regularity. So this week I learned a Pasuk which I have certainly learned no less than 50 times. Avram and Lot are conducting themselves in different ways. Avram was careful to muzzle his cattle as they crossed others land whereas lot allowed his flock to gr...
The very first world war broke out in the days of Avraham. The alliance of the Four Kings quashes the rebellion of the group of Five Kings — among them king of Sodom and its illustrious citizen Lot — taking them all captive together with all their possessions.
ויבא הפליט — Then there came a refugee, ויגד — and told, אברהם העברי — Avram, the Ivri, the news of his nephew Lot being taken captive. Avram immediately sets out to save Lot and miraculously succeeds in defeating the alliance of Four Kings, restoring all the captured souls and possessions to their rightful rulers. (בראשית יד יג)
The Ramban reveals that embedded within this conflict is an allusion to the four exiles we will endure in the course of history, with an ass...
Robert Kraft’s Blue Square Alliance Against Hate raised $32 million at its inaugural benefit gala in New York City, bringing together business leaders and philanthropists committed to combating antisemitism and other forms of hate.
The gala honored Brian Moynihan, chairman and CEO of Bank of America, for his leadership and support of the organization’s mission.
Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, founded the organization in 2019 under the name Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. In 2023, it launched its blue square campaign, encouraging Americans to show support for Jewish communities and speak out against antisemitism.
“When there are no words, at a minimum, you can show your support with a blue square,” said Adam Katz, president of the Blue Square Alliance...
Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) Washington, D.C., home on October 12 as part of a criminal investigation reportedly focused on possible false statements in immigration paperwork from decades ago. The probe has renewed scrutiny of allegations about Omar’s immigration history that have circulated for years.
According to The Washington Post, investigators are examining claims that Omar or her late father provided false information on documents connected to her family’s immigration and eventual U.S. citizenship. Republicans have also repeatedly raised allegations that Omar married her brother to help him obtain immigration status, a claim she denies. Neither allegation has been established in court, and authorities have not publicly detailed the evidence ...
