Next Issue: July 20th
Theme: Home Improvement
June 22, 2017 | 28 Sivan, 5777 June 23 | 29 Sivan 5777 Parshat Korach Light Candles: 8:20 pm Shabbat Ends: 9:26 pm
CANDLE LIGHTING
CONNECTING THE DC, MD, & VA JEWISH COMMUNITY
A Call for Unity After Virginia Shooting By Jackson Richman
See ad on page 48 Cherish The Precious Moments
Capital Commentary/ Op-Ed Contributor Wednesday, June 14, could have turned into a day of mourning as a gunman opened fire and injured five
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Imagine what it feels like to plan and execute a mission on enemy ground despite heavy fatigue, working to maintain a level of physical fitness and mental
readiness that would allow you to take action at a moment’s notice. Imagine what it feels like lead a troop of soldiers only one or two years your junior into battle in blistering heat or frigid cold, knowing that the lives of your comrades and of the people in your country hang in the balance, your successes and failures critical to their survival.
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From left: IDF Sgt. First Class (Res.) Maor; gala chairs Carol and Robert Burman; and IDF Staff Sgt. (Res.) Gabriel. (PHOTO CREDIT: MAGNETIC MEMORIES).
Published Bi-Weekly
Jewish Businesses in Montgomery County Respond to Minimum Wage Hikes
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Supporting Israeli Soldiers With FIDF By Atara Mayer
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people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who is, as of this writing, in critical condition. This incident has prompted bipartisanship and unity nationwide amid a time of toxic political divisions and mistrust. The Jewish community is no exception to the call for achdut, or unity.
ISSUE #10
Joshua and Sara Katz with their childre outside Ben Yehuda Pizza in Silver Spring, Maryland. (PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSHUA KATZ)
By Gabe Aaronson Special Correspondent On July 1, the minimum wage in Maryland will increase to $9.25 an hour, and in Montgomery County it will increase to $11.50 an hour. Local Jewish businesses have responded in different ways to minimum wage hikes. County officials voted in 2013 to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $11.50 an hour over four years, and this is the final year of scheduled minimum wage increases. Some businesses have made few changes other than increasing wages. Laurie Wexler, executive director of Sunflower Bakery in Rockville, Maryland, said they simply pay more to their minimum wage workers and try to keep sales
robust enough to cover higher labor costs. Sunflower Bakery may be a special case, however, because they are a nonprofit with a focus on offering job training to adults with learning differences. Many of their job trainees are interns who receive a stipend but are exempt from minimum wage. Additionally, according to their website, only 51 percent of their budget comes from sales; the rest comes from private donations and public grants. Other businesses have made more fundamental changes to their business operations. Josh Katz, owner of Ben Yehuda Pizza and Cafe in the Kemp Mill neighborhood of Silver Spring, Maryland, said he has cut items from the menu, automated some kitchen work, reduced operating hours, and raised prices slightly.
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