In The News

Meanwhile, at Chabad of Downtown’s Matzah Madness event in Baltimore on Thursday, March 15, young professionals baked matzah for the purposes of education and enjoyment. The event included pizza and beer, so the matzah was not kosher for Pesach, but it made for a great evening activity.

WBAL 12-12-17 Chanukah Festival 5pm
WBFF 12-12-17 Chanukah Festival 10pm
WBAL 12 12 17 Chanukah Festival 11pm
WJZ 12-12-17 Chanukah Festival 11pm
WMAR 12-12-17 Chanukah Festival 11pm
WJZ Mobile Weather Lab @ the Esther Ann Menorah 12-18-17

Before he became a mashgiach in Columbus, Ohio, Ron Reitman, 40, spent a handful of years on and off in Baltimore between 2006 to 2011, deeply ingrained in various Jewish community events and organizations that allowed him to “be with my people serving a greater good,” he said.

“I moved to Little Italy, and the first week here, my roommates hadn’t moved in yet, and I didn’t know anyone,” says Atlanta-born Perrin Shapiro, 24, a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison. “My mom sent me a link to the [Downtown] Chabad, which was literally the next block over, and that’s where I met [my boyfriend].”

Since opening Chabad of Downtown in 2008, Rabbi Levi and Chani Druk say they have welcomed more than 10,000 guests to their center, ranging from young Jewish professionals who work in the city to other Jews in the region who simply enjoy a Jewish milieu.

The crowd gathers at the Baltimore Chanukah Festival, organized by Chabad Lubavitch Centers of Greater Baltimore, for the lighting of the giant menorah at McKeldin Square, marking the second night of Hanukkah.
- Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun

“This gives us the opportunity to celebrate as Jews in America,” Druk continued. “It’s also exciting because the Chabad of Downtown is growing, and this is a way to continue reaching out to and helping to grow the Jewish community downtown.”

Sunday marks the start of Hanukkah and hundreds turned out at the Inner Harbor for the lighting of Maryland’s tallest menorah!

The world can seem a menacing place, Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan says, one in which evil prevails as often as not. But just as a single, small light can be seen from afar, he says, a humble act of good will can dispel the darkness.

Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan and Governor-elect Larry Hogan light the center candle of the Baltimore Menorah during a Chanukah celebration and Menorah lighting at McKeldin Square.