We are living in amazing times. Jews who have been scattered to the ends of the earth are returning home after 2,000 years of exile, and each one has a story. I want to share with you the story of an amazing young woman I met in Modiin, a neighbor of our daughter Penina Abramowitz. It shows that no matter how far away a Jew is, there is a spark, a Yiddishe neshama that can ignite a desire to return, both physically and emotionally to the Jewish people.

The story began as most crazy, hair-raising stories begin, with a wedding.

My sister met her bashert, b”H, and was engaged to be married in Atlanta Georgia, on July Fourth weekend, 2020. As Georgia was her chassan’s home state, and the first state to open up restrictions on in-person events for over 10 people, it seemed the obvious choice after months of debate about where to hold the simcha. When we were looking up flights, we found that, due to the dearth of flights during the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic, prices were sky high. We had a choice between Spirit, which is less reliable and has more stopovers, or Southwest, with its steep price. After much debate, we decided on Southwest Airlines and booked the tickets.

WWW: Today we have Broker/Owner/Realtor of Pickwick Realty, David Wealcatch, with us. Thank you, David, for taking the time to discuss what real estate currently looks like in Baltimore. Can you tell us generally what the home buying process entails for a first-time home buyer? You have young people, people in Pickwick, who have never looked into buying a house. What should they expect?

One beautiful morning my toddler was playing in his Cozy Coupe toy car when it was time for me to take him to playgroup. He was having a great time playing, and when I told him it was time to go to Morah, he (quite cutely but determinedly) insisted, “No, it is not time to go to Morah.” I saw a possible tantrum coming and recalled the guidance of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, who explained that, to a child, his toy ship is as complete a reality as a real ship is to a wealthy merchant. When either ship is taken away, it is a tragedy to its owner. So instead of taking my son’s words at face value, I quickly thought about what was underlying his thoughts. I realized that he was just enjoying his Cozy Coupe, and that the best thing I could do was to validate and embrace his reality. I asked him if he wanted me to put gas into his car so it would work better. He smiled brightly. Within 30 seconds he was parking the car by the house and reaching his hand into mine so we could go to Morah.

No one would say no to free money, right?

Well, many of us miss out on free money that is already sitting in our wallet or is readily available with just a few clicks. I am talking of course about the world of credit cards. Though often rightly regarded as money traps for the profligate or undisciplined, credit cards can be a valuable source of cash-back or travel perks.

 This coming June will be the 54^th anniversary of the Six Day War. In the spring of 1967, Israel found itself surrounded by enemies bent on its imminent destruction. On May 14, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered full mobilization of Egypt’s armed forces. On May 16, he ordered the withdrawal of UN peace-keeping troops from the Sinai desert and advanced his own troops there. On May 22, he announced the closing of the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, thus blocking Israeli access to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. There was no doubt of Arab intentions. On May 27, Nasser proclaimed that “Our basic objective will be the destruction of Israel.”[i] The Arab forces greatly outnumbered the Israeli forces: Arab troops numbered 350,000 versus the Israeli’s 264,000; the Arabs had 2,000 tanks versus 800 for the Israelis, and the Arabs had 700 combat aircraft versus 300 for Israel.[ii]

WWW: Hello, we are here today with Yitzy Schleifer, Councilman for the Fifth District. Yitzy, thank you for sitting down with us today. Let’s start by talking about COVID and the vaccine effort; then we’ll touch on crime. First off, how has COVID impacted the community? How has the community responded to it?

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. When Rabbi Aharon Gross, Bais Yaakov’s Director of Development, told me that the Bais Yaakov High School’s parking lot was fuller than he’d ever seen it, I didn’t doubt him, but I was still astounded when I saw it for myself. When I finally found an empty spot and crossed over to the high school building, it was as if I had entered a different world: a world of laughter, hard work, persistence, and friendship; a world where toothpicks, dice, and medicine bottles form breathtaking mosaics; a world where glue guns, staple guns, and black fabric are the most precious of commodities. 

It was 2010. My father, z”l, had passed away, and I was sitting shiva with my sister at my parents’ apartment on Diskin Street. The apartment was full of people, when suddenly a young woman in her late twenties or early thirties walks in. She was wearing flannel shirt, flopped over her jeans, and her head was completely shaved. People’s gazes darted to and away from her. 

She sat down next to me.

It goes without saying that the COVID pandemic has increased levels of anxiety for many people. The whole thing can be very traumatic. Some have contracted the virus, while others have family or friends who have been seriously ill or have died. With the lockdowns have come lost jobs, diminished savings, family conflict, and substance abuse. The daily news announcements about infection rates, variant strains, changing guidelines, and death counts can be overwhelming.