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Click here to view photos from the event.
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BJC Director of Government Relations, Cailey Locklair, testifies at the Capital Budget hearing.
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Budget hearings and meetings continue regarding the Baltimore Jewish Council's requests in the State's Capital and Operating Budgets. The end of February and beginning of March are when many of the budgets our programs fall under are heard. Budget decisions will be made during the middle and end of March, as the legislature must pass the budget by April 1st.
At our most recent hearings for the Department of Aging budget, the Baltimore Jewish Council testified alongside CHANA to make sure legislators understand the value of the proposed Elder Abuse Center. Legislators were encouraging and commented on the value of such programs that the state cannot provide to the public.
This year's policy priorities are moving along. Our hearing on February 20th in the House Health and Government Operations Committee for the Iran Sanctions legislation was not met with opposition. Delegate Dan Morhaim, Rabbi Ron Shulman, Michael Friedson from the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington and David Ibsen from United Against Nuclear Iran, did an excellent job articulating the importance of continued sanctions.
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BJC Executive Director, Art Abramson, at
the Gun Rally in Annapolis
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The Governor's gun package was heard in the Senate on February 6th with testimony lasting for approximately eight hours. Art Abramson provided testimony on behalf of the BJC along with Vinny DeMarco and other advocates who are a part of the Marylanders Against Gun Violence Coalition. On March 1st, the coalition held a rally in front of the State House. The rally demonstrates the concerns of Marylanders from all over the state: background checks, banning assault weapons, and high capacity gun magazines and addressing mental health must be a part of the solution in ending the horrific instances of gun violence that have swept the nation. Click here to view a clip from the rally.
Finally, on February 25th, the BJC testified in the House Economic Matters Committee on the kosher and sacramental wine bill. We are hopeful the testimony has ignited conversations about problems accessing kosher wine in Maryland. The opposition clearly stated that they believe this is a slippery slope into direct shipment and that kosher wine can be obtained without problem in the state. We need your help in telling legislators on the committee this is not true. Click here to help!
 | | Lt. Governor Anthony Brown at Advocacy Day |
Our annual Advocacy Day in Annapolis this year was held on February 26 and was a great success. With the help of the community and agency representatives from THE ASSOCIATED, we were able to share the community's priorities with over 55 elected officials.
Politically Connect
RSVP TODAY for Dinner and Dialogue with Attorney General Doug Gansler. Hosted by Metropolitan Issues and Politically Connect, the event takes place on Monday, March 11th at 6:00pm at the Banneker Douglas Museum in Annapolis. Please join us for a conversation with one of Maryland's top officials, followed by an opportunity to watch the Legislative Session. Please contact Jasmine Estes for more information, or to reserve your spot!
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Legislative Spotlight - Delegate Sam Arora
 Delegate Sam Arora represents the 19th District in Montgomery County and has been a member of the House of Delegates since 2011. This session, Delegate Arora introduced Kosher Wine legislation and has been working closely with the BJC on the bill. To find out more about Delegate Arora, please read his Spotlight interview below. I ran for public office because... I wanted to serve the community in which I grew up and now live, and there was an opportunity to work on many of the issues I care about deeply in the General Assembly. It has been a privilege to get to work on. The achievement I am most proud of is... Convincing my wife, Jaime, to marry me. The legislative achievement of which I'm most proud is helping to close an arcane loophole last year that had sheltered tens of millions of dollars from taxes. This year, I am working on bills that would create a religious accommodation to allow Marylanders to buy kosher wine online; put state regulations on a more predictable quarterly schedule; make it easier for homeowners to refinance; crack down on fraud; and close a flaw in our laws that has permitted certain school employees to have inappropriate sexual relationships with students. My first car was... Well, I think that may be a security question I once answered, so I probably instead should tell you that I currently have a Ford Fusion Hybrid. I like that it looks and feels like a real car but has great gas mileage. I find myself wondering how I lived all those years without a rear-view camera. That thing is great. My fondest high school memory... Back in the day, my friends and I had a punk & ska band. That was back when I was cool and had a mohawk. Things change. My favorite lunch spot is... Chipotle or, on a banner day, Nando's Peri-Peri. This is making me hungry. Want to go grab a bite? I want to be remembered for... Being a man who sought to lead faithfully and wisely and who loved his family, friends, and neighbors well. |
Community Relations
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Baltimore City CEO Dr. Andres Alonso
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This month, the Council hosted Baltimore City School CEO Dr. Andres Alonso for a discussion on city schools, and the recent decision to close Northwestern High School. This community-wide meeting attracted representatives from Northwestern, as well as numerous community organizations. Dr. Alonso conducted an informative interesting presentation, and we look forward to working with him in the future!
 The Trialogue is on March 14th at noon, in the Jewish Community Services Building! Please join Rabbi Andrew Busch, Dr. Heather Miller Rubens and Imam Maalik Samad for lunch and discussion surrounding Gun Control. Please RSVP to Phyllis Gwynn.
Save the Date! Join us on April 10th at 5:30pm for our Muslim Jewish Dialogue, "Taking Care of Our Own: A Jewish Perspective on Elderly Care." Join us as we tour Levindale and have a discussion regarding elder care with Levindale President and COO Aric Spitulnik.
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Holocaust Remembrance Commission
This spring there are a variety of programs and activities scheduled for Holocaust survivors.
Speakers Bureau
In addition to requests from individual teachers to bring first-hand, Holocaust testimony into their classrooms, during the coming months there will be three group trips for survivors, one of which has already taken place.
Tuesday, February 26-The annual group trip to The John Carroll School in Bel Air, MD, organized by teacher, Louise Geczy. Speakers addressed small groups from the school's senior class, who are concluding a extensive Holocaust unit, including a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Approximately 12 survivors participated.
Wednesday, March 6-The annual group trip to Perry Hall High School, organized by teacher, Margie Simon. Speakers will address small groups of the school's sophomore class, who are also concluding a extensive Holocaust unit. Approximately 13 survivors will be participating.
Thursday, March 21-A trip to Hanover High School in Hanover, Pennsylvania, organized by teacher, Debra Smith. Speakers will be part of a Holocaust Youth Symposium; each survivor will speak to a small group of high school students. The program includes a performance of Brundibar. Approximately 7 survivors will be participating.
Special Events
Yom HaShoah 2013
The community-wide Yom HaShoah commemoration, Living Memory, will be held on Sunday, April 7th at Chizuk Amuno Congregation at 7:00 p.m. The keynote speaker, Laura Levitt, Professor of Religious, Jewish Studies, and Gender at Temple University, will address The Future of Holocaust Commemoration: Living Memory.
Immediately preceding the program, Holocaust survivors and their families are invited to a "Survivors Among Us" reception at 6:00 p.m. in Chizuk Amuno's Krieger Auditorium. Formal invitations will be mailed in March. For more information, contact Toba Rainess at 410-542-4850.
Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezin, April 24, 2013at 8:00 p.m -"The concert-drama tells the story of the courageous Jewish prisoners in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp who performed Verdi's Requiem Mass while experiencing the depths of human degradation."
We Will Sing to the Nazis What We Cannot Say to Them
The concert will be held at the Peabody Institute, featuring Murry Sidlin, Creator and Guest Conductor. The Peabody has generously provided complimentary tickets for Holocaust survivors for the April 24th performance. Bus transportation from the Weinberg Park Heights JCC is available for $10 per person, leaving at 6:45p.m. For tickets and/or bus reservations, contact Phyllis at 410-542-4850 or pgwynn@baltjc.org.
Tickets for the general public are available through the Peabody Box Office at 410-234-4800 (Adults $15, $10 Seniors, $5 Students with ID)
(Note: there is an additional performance on Tuesday, April 24th at 8:00 p.m.)
The USHMM 20th Anniversary National Tribute Dinner, Sunday, April 28th at 6:30 p.m. Survivors and WW II Veterans have been given complimentary tickets. Additional tickets/guests: the first guest of a survivor is $50; all others are $250. Bus transportation is available for $10 per person from the Weinberg Park Heights JCC, leaving at 5:00 p.m.
For dinner and bus reservations, contact Lisa Shifren at 443-451-2256 or lshifren@jcsbaltimore.org.
These events are co-sponsored by the Baltimore Jewish Council, the Holocaust Survivors Social Club, and The Jewish Museum of Maryland.
SAVE THE DATE
Summer Teachers Institute July 29-31, 2013
The 2013 Summer Teachers Institute, Confronting Genocide: Heroism During the Holocaust, is co-sponsored by the Maryland State Department of Education, the BJC and the JMM. The venues include Chizuk Amuno Congregation, a trip to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and The Jewish Museum of Maryland. Special features on this year's agenda include presentations by the Jan Karski Educational Foundation, Teaching Maus in the Classroom, and tours of two new exhibits:
- Some were Neighbors: Collaboration and Complicity During the Holocaust U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- Zap! Pow! Bam! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950 -The Jewish Museum of Maryland.
Participants are eligible to receive new MSDE credit.
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Israel & Global Affairs
Baltimore Israel Coalition Facebook Page
The Baltimore Israel Coalition has launched our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ BaltimoreIsraelCoalition). Please make sure to "like" us for a chance to win free tickets to see Matisyahu at, "Israel65. Celebrate!" on June 2nd! SAVE THE DATE - June 2, 2013 
The Baltimore Israel Coalition is hosting a community-wide celebration of Israel's 65th anniversary featuring Matisyahu, Jewish-American Reggae and alternative rock musician. The event will take place at the Owings Mills JCC on June 2, 2013. The day will include family activities, food, a speaker, an Israel exhibit, volunteer projects, entertainment and lots more. It will be a day where people of all ages and all backgrounds come together to celebrate Israel.
For more information about the event, visit www.baltimoreisraelcoalition.org The celebration is free and open to the public. Concert tickets go on sale April 5th. AIPAC Conference - March 3-5th Hundreds of delegates from Baltimore and thousands of people from around the world will be in Washington, D.C. Sunday - Tuesday for this year's annual AIPAC Policy Conference! The AIPAC Policy Conference is the largest gathering of pro-Israel advocates each year. Thousands of participants come from all 50 states to take part in "three of the most important days affecting Israel's future." Watch the BJC's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/baltjc) and AIPAC's website (www.aipac.org) for updates. Many of the plenums will be broadcast live online! February's Lunch and Learn Program On Tuesday, February 5, 12:00 pm, the Baltimore Jewish Council, Embassy of Israel and American Jewish Committee hosted a lunch and learn with Dr. Jonathan Fine, titled, "Democracies and Counter Terrorist Policies: Problems and Solutions." Dr. Fine is an expert in terrorism, counter-terrorism, arms control, U.S. and European policy in the Middle East, Israeli foreign and security policy and share some amazing insight into how democracies should and do fight terror.
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Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel
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ECYP Fellows & Delegate Keith Haynes in Annapolis
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Teens selected for the Elijah Cummings Youth Program demonstrate leadership potential, and our program aims to nurture that potential through our programming. In late February, the ECYP Fellows traveled to Annapolis to participate in Advocacy Day with the BJC. Activities included joint programming with the Jewish teen group Students Taking Action for Change (STAC), a State House tour, a visit with a member of the House of Delegates, and the viewing of a legislative hearing. Our students were joined by an ECYP board member, Dr. Nollie Wood, who advocates for people with disabilities as part of his position as Executive Director of the Mayor's Commission on Disabilities. ECYP Fellows also learned about the legislative process from BJC staff member, Chana Siff. Advocacy Day allowed our students to learn about political leadership from various angles, in addition to getting an up-close look at how the legislative process impacts our lives as Marylanders. For more information on ECYP, please check out our website at www.ecyp.org, and "Like" us on Facebook!
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