This is the third and final installment of a multipart series for which I polled local shul-goers about their favorite shul. The truth is that Baltimore is blessed to have many favorite shuls.
New Home, New Shul
“My husband and I
joined Ohel Moshe when we first moved to Baltimore, just a year or two after
the shul started,” recalls Yael Friedman. “Like many shuls, it started in a
house, and there has been so much change and expansion since then – both in the
kehillah and in the building. Our
main draw was the same as that of so many of the shul’s early members – Rabbi
Teichman! My husband knew him as his principal in TA and loved the idea of
joining his kehillah. Rabbi Teichman
is still the heart of the shul. He really understands people and knows how to
connect, and his drashos are straight
from the heart. He even acts as the candy man, because he wants all of the
children of the shul to feel comfortable with him.
Ohel Moshe has a kiddush every week, because one of the
goals of the shul is to be a friendly place where people can get to know each
other. “When my kids were little, I would come for the kiddush almost every week just to see other women,” says Mrs.
Friedman. “Now that my kids are older and I can come for davening, I still
enjoy the kiddush at the end to catch
up with my shul buddies. The shul is a welcoming space, and there are plenty of
opportunities to contribute and help out. For example, my kids help set up the kiddush and help put up the shul sukkah – they love being a part of
things, too.
“The shul also has
a number of learning opportunities, for women as well as men. Besides Daf Yomi
twice a day, Avos Ubanim in the winter, and various shiurim offered for the men, Rebbetzin Teichman gives a weekly shiur for women, and there is a new
Shabbos afternoon shiur for women
taught by different teachers in the community. It is a warm, growing place to
be!”
* * *
Seth and Tanya
Gerstman moved to Park Heights in the early 1990s after spending a successful
year of growth in Eretz Yisroel. “I set my mind on continuing my growth and
wanted a shul with an open beis medrash, where I could stay to learn
during the evening,” recalls Seth. “Now it is commonplace, but that was not so
at that time. I tried different shuls, but Agudath Israel of Baltimore was the
first shul to allow me to stay in the evening to learn. In addition, I found
that the davening was bekovodik, not
rushed, no talking – the things that make for a real makom tefillah.
“Then I discovered
that the Agudah was where all of the innovations started,” adds Seth. “It has
the most minyanim so people don’t
have to wait too long for the next minyan to begin. Agudah ran and funded the
Pirchei and Bnos programming all around Baltimore to the benefit of the entire kehillah. The Agudah offers an outdoor keili mikvah, it hosts the NWCP, and it introduced
the idea of a communitywide Siyum HaTorah to Baltimore. And it was the only
shul I found at that time with a full beis
medrash of lomdim and a complete sefarim
library.
“There is also the
Agudah library, where members of the Baltimore community can borrow books for a
couple of weeks. And there is the mechanchim
kollel where rebbeim from our local mosdos
come every afternoon to learn b’chavrusa with
their colleagues. And, in Baltimore, yeshivas
bein hazemanim began at the Agudah.
“At the helm of
the Agudah is Harav Moshe Heinemann, who is among the most respected poskim in America,” Mr. Gerstman
continues. “Despite his full schedule, the Rav has made it a point to make
himself available to people in need of his eitzos
and halachic guidance. Personally, we have tremendous hakaras hatov to the Rav and Rebbetzin for their hadracha over the many years that we
have been at the Agudah.
“Baltimore has
grown and changed. Now, there are many batei
medrash open at all hours of the day. Many shuls offer multiple minyanim. Most shuls now host their own
children’s programs. And there are many wonderful community innovations coming
from different shuls.”
* * *
Michael Steinberg moved
to Baltimore a few years ago and joined Mevakshei Torah, located on Greenspring
Avenue. He says, “My favorite shul is a hidden treasure called Mevakshei Torah.
The tzibur is small, diverse, and
friendly – it feels almost like family. The rav of the shul, Rabbi Ori Millrod
is also a hidden treasure. He is a warm and energetic magid shiur with a
remarkable command of Shas, meforshim,
and much more, all of it seemingly on the tip of his tongue. His lively and
fast-paced shiur during the kiddush after davening always provokes
thought and discussion. It could fairly be called ‘Yeshiva’s Greatest Hits.’”
In the Glen Community
Howard Elling
joined Ohel Yakov Congregation in 1985, when Rabbi Binyamin Dinovitz, z”l, was its Rav. He was succeeded by
his son, Rabbi Peretz Dinovitz, z”l. Both
served for many years. The shul recently retained native Baltimorean Rabbi
Akiva Feldman. “Over the years, this modest-sized shul has developed and
blossomed in ways both physical and spiritual,” says Mr. Elling. “Were someone
to walk into this shul today searching for a neitz minyan, a plethora of shiurim,
Friday night beis medrash, Erev Yom Kippur Kapporos, guest
speakers, family-oriented Chanuka parties, just to name a few things, he or she
would not be disappointed. To paraphrase the precious, long-held dream of our
esteemed president, Paul Barr, Ohel Yakov is most definitely ‘on the map.’ What
impresses me most about my shul, however, is the welcoming, warm atmosphere it
has always offered. I do not doubt that all Baltimore shuls can lay a similar
claim, but there is something strikingly unique about Ohel Yakov: its ambience
isn’t something that you need to search for. Rather, it literally greets you at
the door – the very walls of this makom
kadosh reach out in a homely, amiable embrace to all who enter its
portals.”
* * *
Yehuda Lehrfield
davens just down the street from Ohel Yaakov, in Congregation Shearith Israel,
on the corner of Glen and Park Heights. “When I first moved to Baltimore, I was
attracted to Shearith Israel due to Rabbi Hopfer’s reputation. Rabbi Hopfer is
a world-class posek and not only
understands the intricacies of halacha but also understands people, and his eitzos are always spot on. Once I joined
the shul, I was amazed by the spirit and desire for growth in Torah, tefillah, and general Yiddishkeit. It just
seemed like all the members of the shul were bnei aliyah, and I was very inspired and felt that being a part of
Shearith Israel would contribute to my own growth. The fact that there is a
vibrant kollel learning in the shul
every day only served to make my decision easier. I enjoy coming to our shul
every day to daven and learn.”
* * *
Avery Muller got
involved with the Adas: Chofetz Chaim Adas Bnei Israel, located on lower Park
Heights Avenue, long before his Yeshivas Ner Yisroel roommate, Rabbi Shlomo
Naiman, became its rav.
“Since I was from
Montreal, I would get invited often by Rabbi Naiman’s parents for Shabbosim,”
recalls Avery. “The Naimans were one of the pillars of the Adas, so I ended up
going there quite often when it was still on Rogers Avenue. Besides davening,
the Adas exposed me to a world of balabatim
who viewed Torah and mitzvos as the
main part of their day and yet worked in order to provide for their family. In
fact, it was meeting people like Chaim Wallin, z”l, who gave a shiur
before Mincha with such enthusiasm and depth, and yet was a lawyer, that helped
me make the decision to go to law school. The Adas reflects that outlook since
the building itself, whether on Rogers Avenue or Park Heights Avenue, has been
plain and simple; the focus has always been on the ruchnius, not the gashmius.
“Around 10 years
after I got married, we moved to Bland Avenue, which was just a 10-minute walk
away from the Adas. I became a member, then served as a vice-president, and
around four years ago became its president.
“Although the Adas
has always been small in numbers, we are large in transmitting our mesorah to the next generation. For
example, we encourage our youth, even recently bar mitzvah boys, to lead the
davening and to lain. We are
fortunate to have a rav like Rabbi Naiman, who for the past 30 years has
provided our shul with numerous shiurim
throughout the week, including what may be the earliest iyun (in-depth) Gemara shiur on a Sunday morning in North America!
We start at 6:20 a.m.! Another advantage to our size is that the Rav is very
accessible to guide us, not only in all areas of halacha but also in such complex
areas as chinuch and relationships.
A Chasidishe Taam
“Kedushas Yisrael,
the chasidishe shul under the leadership of Rabbi Jungreis is our favorite
shul,” says Tamar Schulman. “The chasidishe families that daven there are so
accommodating and welcoming to the many Litvish people who daven there. They
make my husband feel like part of the shul, not an outsider looking in. There
aren’t a lot of women who go, but I do, and I enjoy the davening. The Rav and
Rebbetzin are so amazing, down to earth, and approachable. They really believe
in the shul and will do anything to help anyone.”
Groundbreaking News
Binyamin Waldbaum
shares, “When I moved to Baltimore nearly 15 years ago, I chose to daven at
Kehilath B’nai Torah (KBT) because there are many members who I would consider
to be role models for my children, and I wanted to expose my children to them. My
children have seen up close tremendous acts of gemilas chasadim, inspiring tefillah,
selfless dedication to the klal, vatranus for the sake of shalom, an
emphasis on middos tovos, and charity
on a large scale. Each of my children has been profoundly affected by these
experiences and has commented on many occasions about something that touched
them at shul. Those experiences will no doubt shape them and be with them for a
lifetime.
“The Mora D’asra
is Rabbi Seidemann, who makes great efforts to make himself constantly
available to the kehillah. Something
unique about KBT that I really appreciate is that, no matter the time of day,
there is constantly Torah learning in the beis
medrash. They have a retiree kollel
every weekday morning along with their afternoon kollel. Coupled with the many
different daily shiurim spanning all
the major areas of Torah study and varying times of day, there is really a
constant kol Torah.
“On Shabbos they
have both a hashkamah and regular
minyan, each with a kiddush after
davening. Other unique programming includes a Motzei Shabbos learning chabura and weekly avos u’banim learning. Periodically, there are shiurim for women with refreshments organized by the N’shei. The
weekly Shabbos drasha is geared for
both men and women. The shul has a social hall for simchos and hopes to break
ground for its shul expansion soon.”
* * *
Lee Jay Lowenstein
has been davening in Rav Pinchas (Pinny) Gross’s shul, Kehillas Derech Chaim,
for over five years. He shares, “This is a shul that is driven by tremendous ahavas Torah and pilpul chaverim. The relationship between the balabatim and the Rav is symbiotic and complementary. To belong
here, one must be self-motivated to learn and ready to accept direction and the
demands of a Rav who himself is engaged in constantly opening new avenues of
growth and disseminating Torah.
“The Rav is an
outstanding talmid chacham, a very humble person, very
approachable, and able to discuss niglah,
nistar, hashkafa, or halacha – on the spot, deftly, and effortlessly
switching at will, and always with a dose of humor and humanity. He has his
fingertips on the culture and understands the challenges that today’s frum families encounter, such as raising
children, balancing priorities, and keeping Yiddishkeit fresh in an age of
overexposure.
“In the last three-and-a-half
years, we produced, as a shul, four separate volumes of chidushei Torah, collections of original works by the Rav, and
significant contributions from the members of the shul. One would be hard pressed
to find a yeshivah or kollel that produces the same quantity and level of Torah
literature in a similar period of time. When addressing the kehillah, the Rav frequently quotes the chiddushim of his balabatim, citing page number and author from these collections, in
a demonstration of his pride and profound respect for those he has been chosen
to lead. We are in the middle of putting up a big, beautiful building, a new
home for the shul. It will be very exciting to see how this propels the shul to
new accomplishments.”
* * *
Shani Shuvalsky
started going to Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim when she was
looking for a new shul. “I was in search of a Rav with drashos (speeches) that would inspire me, and I had a few of my
friends who were davening there. After a year or so, I decided to become a
member. It’s a diverse crowd, and I’ve made quite a few new friends. I just
love going there every week. I feel like something is missing in my life if I
don’t hear Rabbi Silber weekly. I try to get there early when davening starts,
and he always says something that resonates and lasts with me throughout my
week. The herring served at the kiddush
is very good, too!
“Rabbi Silber is
an integral part of the Baltimore Jewish community, along with our other rabbanim; they all get along so
beautifully. Suburban Orthodox is now building a new shul which will be
absolutely gorgeous. It is so nice to see the Baltimore community growing. I
guess I will get in a few extra steps because it is going to be a few yards
further from my house!”
