One of the most precious dreams of girlhood is to be a mother and bring up a family together with a devoted husband. A girl may imagine welcoming her husband and son home after shul on Friday nights and staying at home on Shabbos mornings with her cute babies, while her husband and sons leave for shul together. But life does not always turn out as expected, and some women, although mothers, end up raising their children alone, either because of divorce or death. There are many problems and issues that have to be dealt with in this scenario, but one that is unique to religious families is the lack of a father to take the boys to shul for davening and learning.

An expectation in our society is that fathers and sons go to shul together and sit beside each other. A young boy going to shul alone and sitting by himself will feel awkward and different. And seeing all the other boys sitting with their fathers just accentuates his loss. This may be the case even when the father lives with his family but does not have the ability or desire to learn or daven with his son.

The latest liberal voice to oppose the Iran deal is Leon Wieseltier, the New Republic’s longtime literary editor, who now writes for The Atlantic. In coming out against the deal, Wieseltier joins the ranks of those whom President Obama accuses of making "common cause" with the mullahs of Iran.  “The Iranians never made a strategic decision to give up nuclear weapons,” Wieseltier told reporters this week. The Iranian nuclear threat will not disappear so long as the “criminal theocratic regime” rules Iran, he said. The deal will strengthen the ayatollahs rather than weaken them, Wiseltier noted, and "the longer this regime stays in power, the more dangerous the region is.”

(Mr. Korn, the former executive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent and the Miami Jewish Tribune, is chairman of the Philadelphia Religious Zionists.)

In a blistering letter published by the New York Times this week, former American Jewish leader Seymour Reich denounced Israel's prime minister for interfering in America's affairs by urging Congress to reject the Iran deal. Reich is a former chairman of the Presidents’ Conference and once headed the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Commission. Which means he should have known better.

Four hundred and fifty-nine innocent civilians have been killed by U.S.-led air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq over the past year, according to a new report. It will be interesting to see how the international community reacts.
The new figures were released August 3 by Airwars, an independent monitoring group that tracks and reports on air strikes against ISIS. Airwars says that it verifies its information by using "two or more generally credible sources, often with biographical, photographic or other evidence."
The Obama administration, however, has acknowledged only two civilian deaths from its air strikes. That's a pretty significant discrepancy -- 459 versus two. One wonders how the news media will treat that anomaly. When Arabs accuse Israel of killing large numbers of civilians, and the Israelis say that only a small number were killed, the Israeli position is routinely met with scoffing and derision from reporters .

I often get calls from individuals or couples who find themselves coming into a windfall of some sort, b”H. Although we all dream of winning the lottery, such sudden wealth is more likely the result of an inheritance, a retirement package, or a lucky investment. Whatever the source of the mazal, these people are in a position they were never in before. While many people are quite sure that an influx of money would solve all their problems, it is not that simple. The newly rich are often unprepared to take on the challenge of managing their money. In their haste to do something, they can make serious errors that result in unfortunate losses. Money management must be learned, and it is crucial to surround oneself with an experienced and trusted financial team.

This week, I listened to two interesting talks referring to sha’ah, an hour. The first was by Rebbetzin Esther Baila Schwartz. It is on torahanytime.com and is called “The Avoda of Cheshbon Hanefesh.” She speaks about the verse in Pirkei Avos (Ethics of our Fathers) “There is no person (adam) who does not have his hour.” The simple explanation is that each person has his/her own importance, his/her own place in this world and in the “orchestra” Hashem puts together with all of our contributions.

After this, she goes on to give a different interpretation. A person needs time to think and be introspective, to do a cheshbon hanefesh (daily reckoning), as it were. Pharaoh in Egypt reasoned that if he intensified the work that the Jewish slaves had to complete, they would have no time to think about going to serve Hashem, etc.

Do you have a child under age three? Do you have questions or concerns about your child’s development, or does your child have a diagnosed developmental disability? If so, the Kodem Kol Program can offer support and assistance.

What is Kodem Kol?

Kodem Kol is an early intervention (EI) service coordination program for infants and toddlers and their families in Baltimore City’s Orthodox Jewish community. Kodem Kol was established in 2002, after it was noted that roughly 10 families in the Baltimore City Jewish Orthodox community had taken advantage of local free early intervention services. In the 13 years since its inception, Kodem Kol has served over 800 children and families, and has grown to serve over 125 children and families a year.

There’s a new organization in town, and they are not seeking your money! Rather, they are looking for your commitment to take part in an innovative idea which aims to help Israeli businesses. They are selling nothing other than a concept. A new piece of “must-have” Judaica is being introduced to the Baltimore/Washington area. Called the “Klee,” and it will serve a purpose close to the Jewish heart. Just as most Jewish homes usually have at least a mezuza, a Chanukah menorah, and Shabbos candlesticks, the Klee (which you may very well already have in your house) will also be used in a meaningful Jewish way. It is a designated dish for Israeli products.

These days, when we say we are “heading to the airport,” we are usually referring to Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (or BWI), a mere 35 minutes away. Who would have thought there were other options for locals here, almost a century ago, that were much, much closer to home. But that is exactly what I recently discovered! First, a little background is in order.

The Aviation Age Comes to Baltimore

On May 21, 1927, a new chapter was written in the annals of aviation history. His repugnant anti-Semitic views and abhorrent lack of family values notwithstanding, the fact remains that on that day Charles Lindbergh became the first person to complete a solo transatlantic flight, flying non-stop from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France. That achievement not only catapulted him into the stratospheres of public adulation and fame, but transformed the nascent aviation industry into the hottest, newest investment on Wall Street.

For the last three years, I have been running the Jewish Used Book Collection. People donate Jewish books that they have finished reading, and I sell them from a corner of the Savings Center, which kindly donates the space for this project. All the money collected is given to the Chananya Backer Memorial Institute (CBMI). The book collection is an amazing project, because it has absolutely no expenses, except for the dot stickers I use to price the books. One of the perks of running the collection is that all kinds of interesting books and tapes appear on my front porch, and I have the opportunity to read them first, before I take them to the Savings Center. I never know what treasures I will find. While sorting through some new arrivals recently, I came across a book and a tape on the same subject that I thought would be interesting to explore. They were both about sibling rivalry. Although both the book and the tape are from more than 20 years ago, the subject is timeless.