Aryeh Leib Freedman did his “homework” before he spearheaded the formation of Misaskim of Maryland, a full year ago, in memory of his father, Rabbi Mendel (Menachem Mendel Don ben Aryeh Leib) Freedman, z”l, longtime principal of Bais Yaakov of Baltimore. This homework included conferring with Sol Levinson and Bros. as well as with the Chevra Kadisha to gauge the volume of services needed. So Aryeh Leib was surprised by the higher than anticipated numbers of aveilim (mourners) that the eight-member volunteer organization serviced in its first year: over 150 shiva houses and over 350 aveilim (mourners).

“It was a lot more than we expected,” remarks Aryeh Leib. “We had heard there would be about 50 to 60 shiva houses per year. However, because many people sit shiva in Baltimore for levayas (funerals) held out of town, the numbers are much higher.”

The locally-run, independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which is modeled after the New York-based Misaskim, has alleviated the last-minute scrambling by Baltimore aveilim for shiva house items and other needs above what Levinson’s and other organizations already graciously provide for community members. These include: sifrei Torah, each with an aron kodesh; siddurim in nusach Ashkenaz, Sefard, Ari, and Edot Hamizrach; shtenders; a bima for laining; low aveilim chairs and tray tables; a lending library of English and Hebrew sefarim about the halachos of mourning; and Mishnayos charts, among other items. Air conditioners, fans, and heaters are also provided when needed.

When Misaskim first started, Mr. Dovid Davis, stepped up to donate two sifrei Torah for use in shiva houses. As the greater need became apparent, the Tuchman family, Chaim Pollack family, and Gershon Seidel family also lent sifrei Torah to Misaskim. Recently, the Zobdeh and Moeinzadeh families kindly donated a Sefardi sefer Torah for use by Misaskim as well.

It’s always exciting when “one of our own” makes it big. By now, most of us have heard of Judge Rachel (“Ruchie”) Freier, the chasidishe super-woman. So when Rabbi Yisrael Motzen, of Ner Tamid, introduced her last month in a program in memory of longtime congregant Dr. Frank F. Schuster, it made for a fascinating evening.

Rabbi Motzen pointed out how both Judge Freier and Dr. Schuster had successfully persevered to break the status quo with what he called their “holy chutzpa.” Dr. Schuster clung to the unpopular path of Torah in the early 50s, even while facing opposition and hardship in his pursuit of a medical degree at Johns Hopkins. Similarly, Judge Freier overcame many obstacles to arrive at her present position. A “regular” wife and mother in Boro Park, she worked to support her husband’s learning. After he earned his degree in accounting, she, too, went to college and, subsequently, law school. In their shared office, she practiced real estate law, while her husband did commercial financing.

Recently, the Bobov-45 Rebbe summoned his thousands of followers in Boro Park – and the world over, via live hookups – to a gathering where he shared some unprecedented directives. The purpose of the gathering was an effort to bring down wedding costs. Among the announcements was discontinuing the traditional exchange of diamond and gold watches by the chassan and kalla to one another, which have become unaffordable for most of the Rebbe’s followers. Instead, to save each side thousands of dollars, the Bobov-45 Rebbetzin will buy each kalla a watch and, as an incentive to adhere to the Rebbe’s new guidelines, participating couples will be eligible for an extra $5,000 in hachnasas kalla funds.

Today’s chassan/kalla gift-giving traditions in the predominantly Litvish Baltimore/Silver Spring communities, while not precisely mirroring those in the chasidishe communities, seem to escalate from decade to decade. And our young local brides and grooms – or perhaps more accurately, their parents – cannot afford elaborate gifts any better than the Bobov-45 community. WWW spoke to a number of people to shed light on the changing customs and how various people view this subject.

Even if you never met Sherri Zaslow, you have likely seen her friendly face and cheery smile at Talmudical Academy, Tudor Heights assisted living, or the Jewish Caring Network 5K Run. Since relocating from the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, to Baltimore, 17 years ago, Sherri has reinvented herself many times. In this Where What When interview, Sherri gives us a glimpse of her eclectic and inspirational life – and talks about the new service she is initiating that she hopes will help many people at a difficult junction in their lives.

Although this was not my first visit to my eldest son Shimon and his family in Modiin Illit, also known as Kiryat Sefer, being in Eretz Yisrael on Chanukah was quite a different experience. In fact, knowing that the Chanukah story all began with a confrontation in nearby Modiin and that the seven major battles of the Maccabean Revolt took place in Judea and Samaria made the holiday come to life. So did my trip to Moshav Matityahu, namesake of one of the heroes of Chanukah.

Moshav Matityahu is located between Kiryat Sefer and the village of Hashmonaim. Compared to Kiryat Sefer, with its population of over 70,000, it is small; there are only about 100 families on the moshav (60 to70 percent, Israeli). It has undergone numerous changes since its founding by a group of about 20 American families who moved there in 1981. Under its first Rav, Rabbi Yehuda Herzl Henkin, the moshav was a Religious Zionist collective endeavor. Today, it is privatized under the tutelage of Rabbi Zev Leff (an alumnus of the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland and former Rav of the Young Israel of Greater Miami) and attracts a yeshivishe element.

When Rochelle Goldberg’s eighth grade Bais Yaakov students performed her musical drama, Journey’s End, in January, 2016, little did she realize that the play – the sixth original play she has written for the school – would hit a nerve.

“When I was thinking about ideas, I realized that no one had ever done a play with a Persian theme,” recalls Mrs. Goldberg. “I have always noticed that some of the Persian girls feel like second-class citizens – not quite fitting in. Some fit in so easily, but a significant group does not. Of course, that was my personal feeling; I took a chance and gambled with my gut feeling. It’s a shame that it hadn’t been done earlier. But it ended up being so much more than a play.”

The poignant play was performed again by Bais Yaakov’s eighth grade students a few weeks ago. Renamed Generations, it was directed by Mrs. Goldberg and production heads, Mrs. Sossie Ansbacher and Miss Gila Jacobovitz, as well as student production heads, Tova Rachel Paige and Rivkah Moinzadeh. The story featured the special connection between “Elinor,” a 16-year-old Persian student, played by first-generation American Shira Shifteh, and her great-grandmother, played by Shira Shapiro (who worked with the Persian girls to get the accent down!). The role of Elinor’s mother, Mrs. Delshad, was played by Shanit Gholian, also a first-generation American.