Robert Kraft’s Blue Square Alliance Against Hate raised $32 million at its inaugural benefit gala in New York City, bringing together business leaders and philanthropists committed to combating antisemitism and other forms of hate.
The gala honored Brian Moynihan, chairman and CEO of Bank of America, for his leadership and support of the organization’s mission.
Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, founded the organization in 2019 under the name Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. In 2023, it launched its blue square campaign, encouraging Americans to show support for Jewish communities and speak out against antisemitism.
“When there are no words, at a minimum, you can show your support with a blue square,” said Adam Katz, president of the Blue Square Alliance...
Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) Washington, D.C., home on October 12 as part of a criminal investigation reportedly focused on possible false statements in immigration paperwork from decades ago. The probe has renewed scrutiny of allegations about Omar’s immigration history that have circulated for years.
According to The Washington Post, investigators are examining claims that Omar or her late father provided false information on documents connected to her family’s immigration and eventual U.S. citizenship. Republicans have also repeatedly raised allegations that Omar married her brother to help him obtain immigration status, a claim she denies. Neither allegation has been established in court, and authorities have not publicly detailed the evidence ...
A Dundalk man has pleaded guilty to damaging religious property after vandalizing Jewish gravestones with swastikas and other antisemitic symbols at a Baltimore County cemetery in 2023.
George Horn, 36, admitted targeting Ohr Knesseth Israel Anshe Sfard Cemetery specifically because it is Jewish, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Maryland. He faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
Authorities said Horn entered the cemetery in July 2023 and spray-painted several gravestones, primarily with swastikas. Cemetery caretakers later discovered 12 damaged headstones. Despite efforts to clean the graffiti, some swastika outlines remained, requiring replacement of certain stones.
Investigators recovered additional evidence from Horn’s vehicle, storage unit and pho...
Baltimore, MD – October 22, 2026 - Exciting progress continues at Torah Institute/Yeshivas Kochav Yitzchak as construction of the Cheder's new building moves steadily forward. With walls beginning to rise and rooms taking shape, the vision of an expanded campus is becoming more visible with each passing week.
Recent construction milestones include the paving of an additional section of the parking lot and the beginning of work on the elevator shaft and stairwell areas. Crews are also excavating and pouring wall footings for the new gymnasium, while rock drilling continues in preparation for the next phases of construction.
Baruch Hashem, these developments mark significant progress in Torah Institute's ambitious expansion project, designed to accommodate its rapidly growi...
Israel’s Shin Bet security agency has removed multiple social media accounts suspected of attempting to influence the country’s upcoming election, the agency announced Thursday.
According to the Shin Bet, the accounts were involved in activity that could allow foreign actors to interfere in the election process. The agency said it would continue working to protect the integrity of the vote and Israel’s democratic process.
During previous election cycles, Israeli officials identified Russia, Iran and China as countries that have attempted to interfere in elections.
The announcement came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran and its regional allies were considering ways to influence Israel’s upcoming election, scheduled for October 27. Netanyahu sai...
Baltimore, MD – October 21, 2026 - This past Sunday, Torah Institute/Yeshivas Kochav Yitzchak celebrated a special milestone as its four fifth-grade classes marked the exciting occasion of Haschalas Gemara. More than 300 parents and grandparents joined the talmidim for this meaningful step in their journey toward becoming shtarke Bnei Torah.
The boys, together with their devoted Rebbeim, heard inspiring divrei chizzuk from Menahel Rabbi Shimon Hirsch, Sgan Menahel Rabbi Nosson Adlin, and Harav Yosef Berger, who encouraged the talmidim as they embarked on this important new stage of Torah learning.
After receiving their very first Gemaros, the boys joined their fathers and grandfathers in spirited dancing, celebrating the momentous occasion. They then proceeded to their respective c...
Baltimore, MD – October 21, 2026 – BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Avi Ray and their family on the birth of a baby boy.
יה״ר שיזכו לגדלו לתורה, לחופה ולמעשים טובים. אמן.
Over 165 administrators, principals, rabbeim, moros, and educators representing almost every Jewish day school in the Baltimore community gathered on Monday evening for Inspired Education, featuring Rav Sholom Kamenetsky, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Philadelphia. Presented by JES in partnership with the Association of Jewish Day Schools, the event presented an opportunity for educators and school leaders to pause, reflect, and draw strength for the important work of chinuch habonim.
Widely respected for his wisdom, warmth, and decades of educational leadership, Rav Kamenetsky delivered messages that were both practical and deeply inspiring to those entrusted with educating the next generation.
The evening began with a focused session for school leaders and administrators. Drawing on the ...
Baltimore, MD – October 21, 2026 - Baltimore has been named one of 25 destinations on National Geographic’s “Best of the World 2027” list, which highlights places around the globe worth visiting in the coming year.
A major reason for the recognition is Baltimore’s role in American railroad history. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, chartered in 1827, will mark its 200th anniversary in 2027. To commemorate the milestone, the National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation is undergoing a $38 million upgrade, including the restoration of a 33,000-square-foot building expected to open in early 2027 with new exhibits and historical artifacts.
Beyond its railroad heritage, Baltimore offers visitors a mix of historic landmarks, local food and waterfront attrac...
Baltimore, MD – October 21, 2026 – BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Feige Hoffman on her engagement to Zari Segal.
Mazel Tov to the parents Dovid and Hadara Segal and Mordechai and Leah Hoffman.
יה״ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן.
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Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection bid, taking a different approach from President Donald Trump, who publicly backed Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s October 27 election.
Trump announced his “Complete and Total Endorsement” of Netanyahu on Truth Social on Sunday, praising him as a “Great Warrior Prime Minister” and a key partner in confronting Iran. He also warned that Israel’s choice of leadership could affect the United States’ role in addressing the Iranian threat.
Netanyahu thanked Trump for his endorsement, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot said Israel’s voters, not foreign leaders, would decide the election.
Asked about Trump’s endorsement during a Monday inte...
The IDF and Shin Bet announced that Tamer Muhammad Ibrahim al-Sabbagh, a Hamas terrorist involved in taking Shani Louk’s body into Gaza on October 7, 2023, was killed in an airstrike in Jabalia, northern Gaza, on Monday.
Al-Sabbagh was the last remaining member of the cell identified in footage of Louk’s abduction. Three other members had been killed, while another was captured by Israeli forces.
Louk, 22, was murdered during the Hamas-led attack on the Supernova music festival near Re’im. Images of her body being taken into Gaza became among the most widely recognized images of the October 7 massacre. Israeli forces recovered her body in May 2024 and returned it to her family for burial.
This article was independently written by the BJL Newsroom based on reporting fro...
Dozens of Chabad yeshiva bochurim returning to Israel from New York were detained by Israeli Military Police at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday morning over suspected draft evasion.
The students had spent the past year studying at Chabad’s world headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn as part of the annual kvutza program. Approximately 80 bochurim arrived on the flight, and military police were waiting at the airport to arrest those whose military service status had not been resolved.
The Times of Israel reported that 42 students were detained. Some students had their passports confiscated, and those remaining in custody were taken to the IDF recruitment center at Tel Hashomer for proceedings.
Twenty-seven detainees were released after signing a commitment to enlist and rece...
Baltimore, MD – October 20, 2026 - Outnumbered. That's how I felt when I covered Baltimore's inaugural Agra D’Pirka event on September 1, 2018, at Khal Ahavas Yisroel Tzemach Tzedek (KAYTT). It was a sea of men, of all ages, stages, professions, and hashkafos, and me. That feeling only intensified when my coverage of subsequent Agra D’Pirka Yarchei Kallah programs had me sitting alone behind the mechitza, writing notes, then scrambling to snap photos and collect participants' quotes at their conclusion.
But then, on November 24, 2019, with the encouragement of Agra D’Pirka founder Reb Ezra Klein, I made the trip to Tiferes Rivka Hall in Boro Park to cover the organization's very b'kovodik gala Decade Dinner. There, I met the n'shei cha...
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