You don’t have to be raised in Baltimore to read Take a Walk Through My Shtetl (2025), the new book by Eli W. Schlossberg – but it helps! I have known the author’s mother, Mrs. Greta Schlossberg, a”h, and his sister, Aviva Sondhelm, since childhood, so the book held special interest for me, but I think that anyone with an interest in nostalgia, local Jewish history, and wise advice would find it intriguing.

In his previous book, My Shtetl Baltimore (2017), Schlossberg recounted the history of the Baltimore Jewish community, including his childhood, as well as fascinating personalities, institutions, and incidents of the past 65 years. Now, with Take a Walk Through My Shtetl, Mr. Schlossberg continues the story of life in religious Baltimore, his “shtetl,” on a more personal level. His new book is a tribute to the unique community that is Baltimore – including the continuity of German (Yekkish) minhagim (customs) and the ability of the kehilla to grow and prosper under all circumstances. It is not at all limited to the world of German Jews, however. All of us living within the eiruv and donating to Ahavas Yisrael – the author’s beloved community tzedaka organization, where he is trustee – are all members of Schlossberg’s shtetl.