Around the Community

Arugas Habosem Commemorates 13th Yahrtzeit and Legacy of HaRav Amrom Taub, zt”l

By: Margie Pensak

To this day, the Brider Rebbe, Rav Shaye Taub, shlit”a, has the crate marked ‘Rabbiner Taub—Chicago’ that belonged to his Czechoslovakianborn father, Rav Amrom Taub, z”l. After the war, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) had planned for Rav Amrom, who earned semicha at 18 and became a dayan in the shtetl of Slatfina, to be a Rav in St. Louis when he came to America. He was supposed to travel on to St. Louis from Chicago, however, his loyalty and dedication to the Satmar Rebbe, Reb Yoel Teitelbaum, zt”l, who insisted that he settle in Baltimore, brought him to our community instead; it meant losing the HIAS stipend. In 1951, Rav Amrom settled in Baltimore and became the founding Rav of Khal Arugas Habosem.

On Monday, July 20, the kehilla commemorated Rav Amrom’s 13 th yahrzeit – 28 th of Tamuz – and the opening of its newly remodeled shul with a Kevias Mezuzos celebration. It was attended by Rabbonim and dignitaries -- Rabbi Heinemann, Rabbi Berger, Rabbi Eichenstein, Rabbi Weiss, Baltimore City Councilman Yitzy Schleifer (whose family donated a mezuzah), and builder Mr. Howard Brown, among others. The “crown jewel” of Arugas Habosum is its new mikveh, the fruition of the dream of Rav Amrom who made mikveh his mission even before moving to Baltimore. It replaces the 40-year-old one that deteriorated from heavy use. After Rav Amrom’s death, the Taubs found the plans for the new shul that he built which included a new mikvah -- for reasons unknown, that part of the plan never materialized.

Rav Shaye notes how fitting a tribute the Kevias Mezuzos was for his father’s memory:

“In Kriah Shema, the first parsha begins with the pasuk, ‘V’ahavta’, which is Kabalas Ol Malchus Shamayim and the second parsha which begins with ‘V’haya, im shamoa’im shamoa’ is kabalas ol mitzvos. There are three things that are mentioned in both parshas, but the order changes. The first parsha says teach your children, and then mentions the mitzvos of tefillin and mezuzah – in that order. The second parsha first mentions tefillin and then teach your children and lastly mezuzah. It is brought down that the reason for that is because we wouldn’t know how to be m’kayim the mitzvos of tefillin and mezuzah properly without Torah shel baal peh, which is the mesorah that we received. Similarly, we wouldn’t know how to teach our children without Torah shel baal peh.

People remember my father for the Torah shel baal peh – the mesorah that he brought over from Europe that he steadfastly held onto here in Baltimore, as well. The way he brought up his family was the mesorah that he was mekabel from his parents. To be m’kayim Kevias Hamezuzos, which also can only be properly affixed with Torah shel baal peh, it is a very appropriate way of memorializing my father, z”l -- all the mitzvos that he was mikayim had to be consistent with the mesorah that he was mekabel from his parents. To make sure that the mitzvah is fulfilled properly, it has to be done with the mesorah. It is, therefore, very appropriate that the Kevias Hamezuzos took place on the day of my father’s yahrtzeit for the beis medresh and the mikveh, which to him was very, very chashuv.”

Rav Amram’s love and dedication

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for mikveh is illustrated in this story that Rav Shaye heard from his father: ‘One frosty winter day we were forced to build airplane hangars near a river, when one of the beams fell into the river. A Nazi guard announced that he is looking for a volunteer to bring the beam back or he would force somebody to do it. The water was freezing and going into the water was a survival risk, as was not following the guard’s orders. I wasn’t sure if I would survive, but I decided to jump in the river. I reasoned that even if I did not survive, at least I would have toiveled myself and return my neshama with tehara. Before I jumped into the river, I was mispallel to Hashem that if I survived, wherever I lived I would establish a mikveh for everyone to use.’

Rav Amrom is, perhaps, best remembered for his inimitable talent of connecting to each and every Jew - regardless of how different they were from him. Before kiruv was in style, he reached out to people. He wasn’t out to change them; he accepted them as they were, embracing them with his warmth. When he came to Baltimore, he was one of just a couple shtreimel wearers in town, but he got along well with the Litvishe crowd and did not push his philosophy on them. In return, the city gave him respect and honor.

It was the Satmar Rebbe who also encouraged Rav Amrom to establish and head a Yiddish-speaking cheder, Shearis Hapleita—now known as Torah Institute. The small group of chassidim who settled in Baltimore introduced a European chasidishe flavor to the Baltimore Jewish community and enhanced Baltimore’s Yiddishkeit. The Rav instituted the baking of matzah on erev Pesach, with water drawn from a well. Seventy years after Rav Amrom instituted this practice, it still lives on as being the only erev Pesach matza baking in town.

As Rebbetzin Malka Fayga Taub concludes, “My father-in-law‘s mesiras nefesh during the war was a promise to the Ribono shel Olam that, if he survives, this is going to be his goal. In each location he was in, he built a shul and a mikveh. That was his goal—tahara, kedusha and avodas hakodesh.”

May Rav Amrom Taub’s neshama have an aliya and may his memory be an inspiration to all.

Gas Explosion Destroys Three Local Homes

By: Staff Reporter BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

Rescuers early Tuesday morning pulled a second victim, an adult male, from the rubble after Monday’s deadly gas explosion in northwest Baltimore.

Seven people remain hospitalized, five of them in critical condition, fire department spokeswoman Blair Adams said.

Adams said nearly 30 residents made use of a temporary shelter. Nearly 200 were affected by the blast.

“Right now we are working on a recovery effort,” Adams said. “This was a really tough time for the community, for the residents of this neighborhood and the fire department.”

Emergency management officials are working to remove debris and ensure homes are structurally sound. Residents may be able to go into their homes to retrieve belongings later Tuesday.

Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young hailed the outpouring of support from businesses and neighbors for those affected.

“I don’t know how to describe it because its something I’ve never ever witnessed in my lifetime,” Young said.

City Council President Brandon M. Scott also wanted to draw attention to the heroic efforts seen Monday.

“We hear a lot about Baltimore and about the negatives of Baltimore, but in this tragedy like we had yesterday you saw the true spirit of Baltimore. You saw people rushing to save their neighbors,” Scott said. “And you saw an entire city, really an entire region come around those people yesterday.”

Adams said there are no reports of anyone still missing.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Baltimore Gas and Electric crews inspected the Labyrinth Road gas main and canvassed surrounding buildings but found no leaks. The neighborhood’s gas infrastructure dates to the early 1960s and no gas odors were reported in the area prior to the blast. The most recent inspection of gas services there took place in June and July of last year and did not detect any leaks.

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Maryland State Fair Is Canceled For 2020

By: Staff Reporter BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

One component of the fair will still be happening but not open to the public. Youth and open class exhibitors from Maryland will be allowed to show their animals in livestock shows following all proper protocols, enabling the Maryland State Fair to fulfill its mission to showcase Maryland Agriculture and provide education about the state’s agriculture industry. (Maryland GovPics)

While the state fair is canceled, Maryland officials said an exception is being made for one part of the event.

TIMONIUM, MD — The Maryland State Fair will not go on this year. Organizers announced the decision Wednesday afternoon, around three weeks before the annual event was set to go on.

More than 500,000 people annually attend the fair, which this year was supposed to run from Aug. 27 to Sept. 7.

“Today, it is with heavy hearts that the Board of Directors, management and staff of the Maryland State Fair & Agricultural Society Inc. announce the decision to cancel the 139th Maryland State Fair,” Maryland State Fair Board Chairman Gerry L. Brewster said in a statement.

The only other time the fair has been canceled was during World War II when the U.S. Army was using the property, according to organizers.

News of the cancellation comes five months after the state’s first coronavirus cases were reported and a week after Gov. Larry Hogan said 21 percent of people who contracted the virus reported participating in outdoor events. As of Wednesday, state health data showed more than 92,000 Marylanders have contracted the infection since March.

“We have diligently tracked information, trends and options for dealing with these unprecedented public health issues,” Maryland State Fair General Manager Andy Cashman said in a statement. “This decision was not made lightly.”

One component of the fair will still be happening but not open to the public. Youth and open class exhibitors from Maryland will be allowed to show their animals in livestock shows following all proper protocols, enabling the Maryland State Fair to fulfill its mission to showcase Maryland Agriculture and provide education about the state’s agriculture industry.

“We understand that our faithful annual attendees will be disappointed,” Maryland State Fair President Donna Myers said in a statement. “We are disappointed too, but know that this decision is in the best interest and health of our vendors, exhibitors, staff and our over half a million visitors.”

Already the Maryland State Fair Board organizers say they are planning the “Best 12 Days of Summer” for next year, which is slated for Aug. 26 to Sept. 6, 2021.

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Around the Community Biker Cholim 7th Annual Men’s Bike-a-thon

By Rochelle Goldberg

All teams arrived promptly to the PeoplesBank fields at Reisterstown Regional Park, ready to partake in the slow pitch league.

In a year of uncertainty-we knew we could count on you! And you didn’t disappoint! Over 150,000 dollars raised by 140 cyclists, 50 junior fund-raisers-in-training, who raised over 10,000, and generous sponsors forBaltimore Bikur Cholim.

When we planned our event, it was BC, before corona, and when corona hit, we scrambled to give you, our dedicated cyclists a plan and a challenge. And thus, the WEEKS CHALLENGE was created. We challenged you to ride 50 miles each week, or 25 miles each week, or 10 miles each week, or take a personal option. You surpassed our wildest expectations with James Vernov cycling close to 5,000 miles in the ten-week period, followed by Moshe Smith at 1,000, and Yitzchak Kimelfeld at 900 miles. Then we challenged our junior kid riders to have relatives sponsor them for any exercise that they maintained for at least three times a week. Again, the kids took off in amazing fashion with Rosie Cohen collecting over 2,000 dollars, followed by Shoshana Ifrah at 1,029, and her sister Devorah Ifrah at 950 dollars. The kids earned prizes for their efforts: 7 Mile Slushies, Sprinkles Ice Cream, Tov Pizza, Dougies Dinner Specials, and Akiva Milrod won 50 dollars to the Seforim Nook, and Michalie Sinaie winning a Hoverboard!

We are grateful that we were able to have our beautiful ride on the day of our event, this past Sunday, August 9. At our new venue, Ateres Elka, our 50 milers started the day at 8 am and enjoyed the magnificent new scenic routes devised by our own Coach Noam Shiman. The 25 milers left at 8:45, and finally the 10 milers were off at 10 am. Each group was led by experienced ride marshals: Dovid Cynamon, Shlomo Caplan, AJ Gordon, Gary Bauman, Shaya Lerner and Shmuly Abramson.

The cyclist met and overlapped on these wonderful scenic new routes

and enjoyed respite at the rest stops manned by: Yaakov Cohen and sons, Akiva Goldberg, Yosef Feigenbaum and Shua Portnoy. Sag wagons were directed by Nos Bitman, Yechiel Levin, Noam Shiman, and Asher Wildman.

All the cyclists met back at Ateres Elka where they crossed the finish line and enjoyed refreshing ices and cold drinks. Each rider was given a delicious catered meal by the one and only Yaffa and wife, Shula, who always live up to their impeccable reputation.

We all missed the family fun event, but were grateful that in these challenging times we were able to get outside with friends in the fresh air and do something wonderful for the k’lal.

The Men’s Biker Cholim could not have happened without the efforts of this dedicated and talented committee: Yaakov Berkowitz, Tzvi Feigenbaum, Akiva Goldberg, Rochelle Goldberg, Yitzy Goldberg, Mordechai Gottlieb, Shloime Grunhut, Bonnie Pollak, Eliezer Portnoy, Pinchos Rabinowitz, Liz Rothstein, and Noam Shiman. The Junior Biker Cholim event is chaired by Mindy Benyowitz, Pearl Rosensaft, and Aliza Tender.

We pray that you and your family remain healthy during these challenging times. Remember that you are not alone. Bikur Cholim is here for whatever you may need.

Bikur Cholim of Baltimore has over 450 volunteers. Bikur Cholim distributes over 8,000 meals to 8 different hospitals, delivers more than 3,000 meals to people’s homes, services patients and families from more than 40 different cities and countries, provides over 3,000 rides to medical appointments and Shabbos and Yom Tov situations, visits over 6,000 patients in hospitals, homes and facilities and provides patient advocacy services over 15 times a week. Come ride with us and be part of the team that helps so many. The money you raise supports these vital community services: • Patient Advocacy • Kosher meals to patients/ families in the hospital and home • Transportation to medical appointments and hospitals • Transportation on Shabbos and Yom Tov • Visitation in area hospitals • Housing in the community • Free-loan medical equipment • Medical referrals • Kosher Hospitality Rooms in four local hospitals • Accommodations near area hospitals for Shabbos/Yom Tov • Community and volunteer education

Bikur Cholim thanks all of you for making this another successful year, and we look forward to seeing you all next year in a more stable climate. Wishing you all a Kisiva Vichasima Tova.

The JCSL by “Shimz Cars” season nears the “Premier Financial” Post-Season

With only one game remaining in the regular season, the post-season picture is beginning to come into focus. But a number of teams can still bring home the coveted, “Premier Financial” Trophy.

As of this article, the league standings are as follows:

Team Won Lost Tied GB

LBSI

Levin & Gann The Kitchen Spot Donny Ankri Architects Fired Up Promotions Kaylah Diamonds Stutman Chiropractic Seven Seas Sushi

5

4

4

2

2

2

2

0 1

2

2

2

3

3

4

4 0

0

0

2

1

1

0

2 1.0

1.0

2.0

2.5

2.5

3.0

4.0

Read the remainder of this article from some of the highlights from the past few weeks.

(Thank you to Yosef Chaim Weil for the photography that accompanies this article.)

Week 3

LBSI Levin and Gan 13 12

LBSI took on Levin & Gann in a Week 3 matchup between two teams fighting for a spot atop the standings. True to form, both lineups impressed with double digit totals as they battled into the late innings.

L&G ace Yaakov Rappaport was all over the diamond, pitching, managing, pinch running, and generally trying his darndest to subdue an LBSI lineup that motored 12 runs home before the 7th inning stretch. LBSI went toe to toe however, and when the dust settled, the teams found themselves tied heading into the final frame on a sweltering morning.

With strong contact by wily veteran Bernie Kozlovsky sparking a late rally, LBSI willed one more man across the plate, and displayed shutdown defense in the bottom of the ninth to take home the W.

Donny Ankri Architects Seven Seas Sushi 13 13

Seven Seas took on Donny Ankri Architecture in the 3rd game of the season.

Even without their star SS Aryeh Walter, Seven Seas got up early with a 4-0 lead. Unfortunately for them, the lead didn’t last long with the consistent base hitting by the Ankri Architecture team.

The Architects took a big lead after 6, ultimately going up by 5. Meanwhile, Seven Seas couldn’t get it together offensively, going 3 up 3 down in both the 7th and 8th innings. However, they managed to get their field in order shutting down the Architects’ bats.

It came down to the 9th inning for the winless Seven Seas team. The first 2 batters led off with outs. Miraculously, a rally started when 5 for 5 hitter Eliezer Portnoy got his 6th consecutive base hit, (leading 7 seas in batting average for the day). That allowed Seven Seas to pull off a 5-run rally and tie up the game. The Architects were unable to score in the last half and the game ended in a tie.

Fired Up Promotions

9 Kalyah Diamonds 8

Looking for their first win of the season, Fired Up Promotions came out swinging against Kaylah Diamonds. Scoring 5 in the first and 1 in the second, Fired Up took an early 6-0 lead. But the “Diamond Dealers” would not back down and with the heat bearing down on both teams, it became a grind out type of affair.

Fired Up added an insurance run to make it 9-7 in the top of the 9th. Kaylah came to bat in the bottom of the 9 th and loaded the bases with nobody out. Adam Ben-Zev’s ground out made it 9-8 and down only a run, things did not look good for Fired Up. Kaylah Diamonds once again loaded the bases and with 2 outs, All Star Ari Ohsie came to the plate looking to walk it off.

Fired Up’s defensive captain, David Flamm, moved a couple outfielders around and in what would be a prophetic move, Ohsie absolutely smoked the ball to right field. It looked like all might be lost for Fired Up until OF Aitan Lewis channeled his inner Aaron Hicks and made a game (and possibly season saving catch) to end the game.

Week 4 The Kitchen Spot Fired Up Promotions 14 6

Coming off scoring 25 runs the previous week, The Kitchen Spot wasted no time getting on the board, scoring 3 in the first with RBIs from Moshe Goldberger, Shulie Hochman and Dan Gutman. Fired Up came back with 2 of their own while stranding a man on second and third to end the inning. The second inning was the same for The Kitchen Spot, scoring 3 runs and taking a 6-2 lead going into the third. Hochman led off the third with a line drive to the gap for a home run. After some back and forth scoring and good defense from both sides, The Kitchen Spot would take this game 14-6.

Week 5 Donny Ankri Architects

11 Stutman Chiropractic 5

The Architects got off to another hot start with 9 runs in the first 2 innings. Architect’s Howie Friedman continued to pitch great giving up 1 walk in the game. He also contributed with 4 RBIs. Offering a web-gem of his own, captain Donny Ankri jumped high for a leaping catch at shortstop that resulted in a double-play.

The Architect’s got an insurance run late when Eli Newman hit a monster double to center. The Chiropractors played well, led by the Stutman father-son duo, but fell short in a fun competitive game.

Week 6 Levin and Gann

5 Donny Ankri Architects 4

L&G started the scoring with a run in the top of the 2nd. Ankri came back with 2 runs, but it was L&G from there, scoring 4 more over the next 3 innings. Ankri chipped away with 1 more, making the score 5-3 heading into the bottom of the 9th.

After L&G failed to score insurance runs in the top of the 9 th , despite getting their first 2 runners on, it was Ankri who started the bottom of the 9th with their first 2 runners reaching base. Ankri’s cleanup hitter then popped out for the 1st out. A ground ball to short resulted in out number 2. Their next batter got a single scoring one. It was 1st and 3rd with 2 outs, the score at 5-4. But the next better popped out to RF ending Ankri’s chance at a comeback.