Back in 2002, I took a group downtown for a Shabbaton
at the B’nai Israel Congregation, where my nephew Rabbi Shraga Goldenhersh was
then rabbi. This year, we again came to the
Harbor to spend Shabbos with the congregants of this historic Jewish
jewel, tucked within sight of Baltimore’s shot tower, the soaring financial
building of Alex Brown, the towering Marriot Hotel, and close to Port Discovery
and quaint Little Italy and Fells Point.
B’nai Israel,
built in 1876, is the oldest Orthodox synagogue in continuous use
in Maryland and still houses a vibrant and active congregation. They
provide beautiful services every Shabbat, as well as each Sunday morning and on
the religious and secular holidays.
The focus of the
Shabbos this time, unfortunately, was on the war in Israel. The beautiful shul
was filled with over 200 pictures of the hostages. Each picture was placed on a
seat, with the name and age of the hostage and the text “Bring Her/Him Home
Now!” At the services, the mishebeirachs
and tefilos were for Israel and for the
240 hostages and the chayalim (soldiers)
– and for those who were injured or killed. It was very moving as Rabbi Etan
Mintz instructed us to look at the picture of the hostage at our seat and daven
for his or her freedom. Not a dry eye!
The crowd was very diverse: Some
congregants live close to the shul. Some participants walked three or four
miles back and forth. Others came from Owings Mills, Patterson Park, and
Hampton. Many of them have been members of the shul for many years.
Our Shabbos attire was
varied. Some wore starched shirts with ties, others wore T-shirts. Nobody
cared. Everyone looked beyond external things and only into each other’s
hearts to share the love of man to his fellow. Shabbos has that special
quality to unify all of Klal Yisrael.
Hashem has given us a marvelous gift. Shabbos doesn’t change for it is eternal,
our eternal gift.
Everyone davened
beautifully, sang joyfully, and at times cried out to Hashem for what is
happening in Israel. The scholar-in-residence was Baltimore-born Professor Dr.
Zev Eleff, president of Gratz College and an incredible scholar and historian.
His scholarly talks were full of divrei
Torah and included topics such as “Jerusalem
Tales: a History of Hero-Making and Israel Seeking” and “Terach’s Idol Shop and
Baltimore Zionism.”
The Shabbos meals
were beautifully served. Havdalah was very spiritual, and the entire ru’ach of the Shabbaton was outstanding.
A dedicated pillar of the shul, Fred Shoken, conducted an informative walking
tour of the neighborhood. We gazed at the desolate streets,
where Tulkoff’s Horseradish factory, Smelkinson’s dairy store, many kosher
butcher shops, and a once thriving active Jewish neighborhood had
flourished.
B’nai Israel, a
cholent of holy Jews. How holy, how special, how historic, and how
precious! To the dedicated congregants of B’nai Israel, who keep the
lights on, we say yasher ko’ach! Job well done! May Hashem grant you
the strength to keep those lights burning bright so they may lead us all to the
final Redemption, and may we all go from Lloyd Street to Jerusalem, one
day very soon, G-d willing.
Good
Shabbos! Good Shabbos!
Eli W.
Schlossberg is businessman and trustee of the Ahavas Yisrael organization. He
is a frequent contributor to the Where What When and
the author of the book, My Shtetl Baltimore
