B'nai Israel: The Downtown Synagogue

Your Home at the Harbor

Virtual learning and davening at B'nai

Given the expansion of precautions due to COVID-19, B'nai Israel will be closed until further notice. However, that does not mean that we can't build community in other ways.

We invite you to join our virtual learning and davening. We are using Zoom for a suite of weekly activities. The schedule is below along with the Zoom URL so you can join the sessions. You can sign-up for a free Zoom account here.

Virtual minyanim are not halakhic, but they will be very meaningful and spiritual. It is our hope that we can all gather together in person soon, but until that day comes we continue to work together to build our spiritual community virtually.

Mourners, who are unable to say Kaddish without an halakhic minyan, will recite Psalm 121 at the end of the service. The psalm appears below

Monday, 6 April: 7:45 am - 8:25 am: Morning Minyan and the Mintz Minute (Words of Inspiration from Rabbi Mintz) - Click here to join the ZOOM session!

Tuesday, 7 April, 8:00 pm - 8:20 pm: Weekly Wellness Check-In with Rebbetzin Tammy - abbreviated for the search for chametz at 8:20 pm. - Click here to join the ZOOM session!

Wednesday, 8 April: 8:00 am: Siyum Bechorim - This session requires a password. If you wish to participate, write to office@jewishdowntown.org - ZOOM - Click Here

Tehillim (Psalm 121)

שִׁיר לַמַּעֲלוֹת אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי אֶל-הֶהָרִים מֵאַיִן יָבֹא עֶזְרִי. עֶזְרִי מֵעִם ה' עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ. אַל יִתֵּן לַמּוֹט רַגְלֶךָ; אַל יָנוּם שֹׁמְרֶךָ. הִנֵּה לֹא יָנוּם וְלֹא יִישָׁן שׁוֹמֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל. ה' שֹׁמְרֶךָ; ה' צִלְּךָ עַל-יַד יְמִינֶךָ. יוֹמָם הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לֹא יַכֶּכָּה וְיָרֵחַ בַּלָּיְלָה. ה' יִשְׁמָרְךָ מִכָּל-רָע, יִשְׁמֹר אֶת-נַפְשֶׁךָ. ה' יִשְׁמָר צֵאתְךָ וּבוֹאֶךָ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד-עוֹלָם.

A song of ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains, from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. God will not let your foot falter, your guardian will not slumber. Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord is your Guardian, the Lord is your protection by your right side. By day the sun will not harm you, nor the moon by night. The Lord will guard you from all evil; the Lord will guard your life. The Lord will guard your going and coming from now and forever.

Notice Regarding Cancellation of Services

In an abundance of caution, and based on the guidance and consultation of the Governor’s and Mayor’s offices, as well as medical experts and the Synagogue leadership, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel all events, including services, for the next two weeks.

As the oldest continuously active Orthodox Synagogue in Maryland, with services going back to 1873, we do not take this lightly. Our resident historian, Fred Shoken, has shared with us that the last time such action was taken was during the influenza pandemic of 1918, when all houses of worship in Baltimore City were closed for two weeks in October of that year. But, we also know that we have a halachic obligation to guard our health and to do no harm. Here that means to do our part to slow the spread of this pandemic virus and flatten the curve so that our health systems are not overwhelmed, and that the most vulnerable are not seriously impacted. We hope and pray that when we look back at this moment, it was our collective responses and responsible choices that made a marked difference.

Please use this time to pray with even more fervor, to study the weekly Torah portion, to have some time for meaningful introspection and for other productive and spiritual endeavors. If you are in need of pastoral or other support, please reach out to Rabbi Mintz. If you are looking for someone to say kaddish in memory of a loved one, we will arrange for such, so please be in touch. While this is time of physical and social distancing, let’s equally use it to bring us closer. Use it as a time to reach out to friends, family, community members, and especially those who may be alone. It’s moments like this that we realize how dependent we are on one another and our community.

May it be a Shabbat of Healing and Peace

Pesach begins in the evening of
Wednesday, April 8th
and ends
in the evening of
Thursday, April 16th

To sell your chametz click here.

Chametz form must be submitted by
Tuesday, March 31st at 5:00 pm

We will be having pre-Pesach Zoom classes in the upcoming weeks (and one specifically geared to running your own seder with practical ways to enhance it and make it more meaningful). Stay tuned for details.

To access the OU Pesach Guide online: (https://oukosher.org/passover/download-passover-guide-signup/)

Erev Pesach: Wednesday April 8th 8:30 am- 9:10 am: Zoom Minyan, Siyum of the First Born, and Burning of Chametz
Join URL: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/772909370 Meeting ID: 772-909-370
One tap mobile: ,,772909370#