This Rosh Hashana start the new year with a Mitzvah.

Pick up a free shofar and join a shofar-blowing training session so you can do this important chesed for your community.

Shofar-Blowing Training sessions will take place on:

Wednesday, August 23rd, 8:45 pm

Sunday, August 27th , 11:00 am

Wednesday, August 30th, 8:45 pm

Sunday, September 3rd, 8:45 pm Only one session required.

Sessions to be held at the Ari Fuld, a"h, Rear Building, behind 3209 Fallstaff Rd.

No prior sign-up necessary. For any questions, email info@chesedfund.com or call 410-653-3333.

Sessions led by Rabbi Ephraim Horowitz. *Bar Mitzvah age and up

Dear Readers,

Every year the summer months come to a close and Elul begins with the words in this week’s Parsha, Parshas Shoftim, of ״ךירעש לכב ךל ןתת ןירטושו םיטפוש” and ״ףודרת קדצ קדצ״. These words instruct us to pursue an organized structure of law enforcement within our society. Trying to survive in a world void of structure is impossible. It is perhaps for this reason that this Parsha is strategically positioned to take place now. We need to reset following a summer that is unstructured (for many). Of course, this concept is becoming a bigger challenge each year as our society tries to break down these barriers. The essence of defunding police, delegitimizing police, misusing governmental power, and destroying the social structure of our country scares most of us. Videos are constantly surfacing of criminals entering stores, filling up shopping carts, and walking right out with zero intervention or consequences. Police are afraid to do their job because they’re safer doing nothing than potentially intervening and ending up in prison, losing their livelihood or, even worse, losing their life.

The consequences of the disintegration of our policing structure causes people to police themselves. Recently, a criminal was seen on a viral video in a convenience store dumping hundreds of packs of cigarettes into a large garbage can. He was expecting to fill it to the top and just walk out without interference. Unfortunately for him, the owner of the store was not going to sit back idly and took matters into his own hands. He knocked the perpetrator down and proceeded to whack him repeatedly. Of course, a great battle ensued on social media. Was the business owner correct in his reaction?

Correct or not, a society without a police structure leads to chaos. And a Jewish nation without its own societal structure will crumble.

As we enter Elul, let’s hope we can seize the opportunity to work within these boundaries. We may not be able to control the world around us, but we can work to not let the world control us.

Have a restful shabbos, Aaron

Menachem

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Pikesville Armory Foundation Moves Forward with $100MM+ Redevelopment of 14-Acre Site, Gaining Title Transfer and Selecting Seawall and Onyx as Development Team

The Pikesville Armory Foundation (PAF), in partnership with Seawall and Onyx Development, is pleased to announce a major redevelopment in northwest Baltimore County. The 14-acre Pikesville Armory campus is located on Reisterstown Road a half mile north of the Baltimore City line, and with a go-ahead vote from the Maryland Department of Public Works on August 2, 2023 to transfer ownership of the site from the State to Baltimore County, is now green-lit for transformation.

The Pikesville Armory has a 120year history, and its preservation and redevelopment have been a community priority for decades. Officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, the Pikesville Armory was the subject of a Governor’s Commission in 2017 which drew on hundreds of community conversations to receive input from thousands of neighbors. The resulting direction for redevelopment of the site calls for “a multi-use venue for recreation, arts, and other community programming,” and led to the formation of the nonprofit Pikesville Armory Foundation (PAF) Baltimore County plans to transfer ultimate ownership of the site to PAF to support the ongoing efforts to reimagine the site into a community hub

In the spring of 2023, PAF held multiple rounds of in-person public community meetings, reaching over 40 communities in Baltimore County and City and also selected a development team for the project. “In selecting Seawall and Onyx as our development partners, we are confident that we are creating a community centered project that will be transformative for the region,” said Shelley Morhaim, PAF president. PAF was founded by representatives from the Greater Pikesville Recreation Council, the Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce, the Veterans of the Pikesville Military Reservation, the 1000 Friends of Pikesville, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Baltimore.

Barry Williams, PAF Vice-President, added, “The first step will be the renovation of the Non-Commis- sioned Officers (NCO) Club Building, which is currently used by over 500 veterans. When complete, it will serve not only the veterans’ groups, but also local community organizations and provide a venue for private events.” Construction of the NCO Club is slated to begin as early as mid-2024, with the larger project to restore and renovate the Armory building and surrounding fields and structures kicking off in 2025.

The development team consisting of Seawall and Onyx Development brings a Baltimore-centric approach to community-led development, with a focus on adaptive reuse and mixed use projects. Seawall has more than 15 years of experience working in Baltimore and is known for food halls and public markets like Lexington Market and R. House, teacher apartments and nonprofit office space at Miller’s Court and Union Mill, and creative community hubs like the Union Collective Onyx Development is a Black and female-owned firm led by Rian Hargrave and has completed a number of residential and commercial projects in Baltimore.

“The Pikesville Armory redevelopment is a once in a generation opportunity to bring together Baltimoreans from all walks of life; we believe this will be a transformative project that both honors the history of this property and turns it into a valuable community gathering place for generations to come.” said Peter DiPrinzio of Seawall. The development team of Seawall and Onyx will work in partnership with PAF on all aspects of the project’s design, financing, public art, leasing, and programming.

“Community-focused development is something Onyx and Seawall pride ourselves on. The Pikesville Armory project will be a paramount proj- ect that will make the Armory a destination not only for Baltimore County and the Northwest Corridor, but Baltimore City as well as the State of Maryland. We’re thrilled to be a part of restoring such a renowned site,” said including the arts, parks and rec, education leaders, military veterans, architecture and development, with each member bringing their expertise to the project. This project intends to create a community hub that will celebrate the diversity of Pikesville and northwest Baltimore.

About Onyx Development

Onyx Development is a Baltimore-based development firm founded by Rian Hargrave. They specialize in community-centered development and are currently at work on the redevelopment of historic rowhomes in the Pimlico and Franklin Square/ Harlem Park neighborhoods, student housing near Coppin State, and as a consultant to other mission-driven projects.

About Seawall

PAF is holding a series of community tours to show the campus and solicit further feedback on project plans and programming. The next tour dates on site are October 7th, at 10am and 12pm, and October 29th, at 10am and 12pm. A full calendar of meetings can be found on the foundation’s Facebook page. Project updates and announcements will be posted on the website at Project updates and announcements will be posted on the foundation’s website.

About the Pikesville Armory Foundation (PAF)

The Maryland nonprofit corporation Pikesville Armory Foundation is stewarding the redevelopment of the historic Pikesville Armory. PAF’s highly engaged board is comprised of local leaders from various groups

Seawall is a community organization made up of passionate social entrepreneurs who believe in re-imagining the real estate industry as we know it. We believe that all facets of the built environment should be used to empower communities, unite our cities, and help launch powerful ideas that create important movements. Combining decades of real estate development experience and non-profit community work, we have formed a socially conscious development company. Seawall has focused its energy and resources on providing discounted apartments for teachers, collaborative office space for non-profit organizations, community-driven retail, launchpads for chefs, and creative space for charter schools.

Seawall’s history of success is due in large part to deep relationships with neighborhood residents and business owners, as well as demonstrated and continuing commitment to responsible, inclusive development that is responsive to neighborhood needs and wants.