November 15, 2023 | JTA
Scores of Baltimoreans attended yesterday’s March for Israel rally in Washington, D.C., which was considered the largest Jewish gathering in U.S. history.
November 5, 2023 | Alan Feiler | JMORE
Among the speakers at the Nov. 3 “Empty Shabbat Table” were relatives and friends of individuals abducted by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack.
October 29, 2023 | Alan Feiler | JMORE
In the shadow of the “Male/Female” sculpture outside of Penn Station, Israel supporters gathered to voice their outrage about the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and call for the elimination of the terrorist group, while demanding the release of all hostages.
October 3, 2023 | Caren Leven | JMore
In the tapestry of history, certain moments etch themselves into the collective memory, transcending time and generations. An indelible chapter is the Yom Kippur War, a watershed moment in Israel’s journey. It is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices, strength and unwavering spirit illuminating a nation’s path from darkness to light.
September 27, 2023 | Jillian Diamond | Baltimore Jewish Times
September 22, 2023 | Caren Leven | JNS
This weekend, the University of Pennsylvania finds itself at the epicenter of a contentious and critical debate that resonates far beyond its campus borders. The controversy surrounds the “Palestine Writes” literary festival scheduled to take place from Sept. 22-24, which has raised deep concerns within the Jewish community, particularly regarding the rise of antisemitism and Antizionism on college campuses.
August 11, 2023 | Caren Leven | Baltimore Jewish Times
As the executive director of the Baltimore Zionist District, I had the tremendous joy of witnessing a transformative adventure unfold as 24 Baltimore teens embarked on a life-changing trip to Israel. This unforgettable journey was designed to deepen their Jewish identity, instill cherished values and forge lasting connections with Israel and its people.
July 26, 2023 | Jillian Diamond | Baltimore Jewish Times
From June 11 to 13, a caravan of Israeli performers traveling across North America stopped at Beth Tfiloh Camps, Chizuk Amuno Camps, J Camps and Camps Airy & Louise. They put on shows full of singing and dancing for over 1,900 campers.
July 24, 2023 | Jillian Diamond | Baltimore Jewish Times
This July has marked the journey of a lifetime for several groups of Baltimore teenagers, who traveled to Israel with different community organizations.
The Baltimore cohort of Diller Teen Fellows, a 4Front program, and participants from Baltimore Zionist District who participated in the Gadna military program had very different experiences, but both involved developing leadership skills and cultivating a love of Israel.
June 17, 2023 | The Baltimore Sun
In his recent letter to the editor, Charles Cooper falsely labels Israel as an apartheid state (”Israel remains an apartheid state,” June 7).
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a complicated issue with diverse interpretations and narratives. Pro-Palestinian groups claim Israel as an apartheid state, repressing and killing Palestinians in the disputed territories. It is vital to examine the situation critically, consider the broader context and challenge the apartheid characterization.
April 19, 2023 | Jillian Diamond | Baltimore Jewish Times
April 26 marks Yom Ha’atzmaut, more commonly known as Israel Independence Day. The holiday honors the founding of Israel in 1948, when David Ben-Gurion declared its independence as a Jewish state.
October 7, 2022 | Jesse Berman | JMore
When 15-year-old Max Riter arrived in Israel this summer, it represented not only his first trip to the Jewish state but a final opportunity to commune with his late grandmother, Susan Stepner, placing a message to her within the ancient stones of Jerusalem’s Western Wall.
September 8, 2022 | Baltimore Zionist District | EIN Presswire
Baltimore Zionist District (“BZD”) announced today the appointment of four new members to the Board of Directors. This brings the number of board members to thirteen. The four new additions to the Board are Eric Rubin, Vered Mei-Tal, Jaime Davidov, and Fern Babkes.
December 22, 2021 | Jesse Berman | Baltimore Jewish Times
“Next year in Jerusalem” is going to ring very true for participants of the Baltimore Zionist District’s upcoming tour of Israel.
BZD is currently organizing its first in-person trip to Israel since the start of the pandemic. This trip, intended for people 55 and older, will take place from March 22-April 5.
October 7, 2022 | Jesse Berman | JMore
The Baltimore Zionist District is currently planning its first trip to Israel since the outset of the pandemic. The mission is for adults ages 55 and up, geared toward first-time visitors as well as individuals who have toured Israel on multiple occasions. Jmore recently spoke with Adi Ratzon, BZD’s shlicha, or Israel emissary, about the trip, which takes place Mar. 22 to Apr. 5, 2022.
Winter 2022 | Courtney McGee | Baltimore Style
As we get ready to ring in the new year, several local personalities share their personal aims for achieving a healthy, happy 2022. Creating, decluttering, embracing change and enjoying jazz number among their positive goals.
Check what our Executive Director, Caren Leven, had to say.
Na’aleh: The Hub for Leadership Learning
Caren is a Sabra (one born in Israel), and she arrived in the US at the age of 10. Although she could speak and understand English, she couldn’t read or write in English, creating a huge challenge when her parents enrolled her in public school.
July 20, 2021 | Alan Feiler | JMore
Harford County’s largest city, Aberdeen has never been known as a hotbed of Jewish life and culture. But on Monday afternoon, July 19, hundreds of area Jews made the trek to the small town to watch Israel’s national baseball team compete in an exhibition game against the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League All-Stars.
July 19, 2021 | JTA | JMore
Following pressure from pro-Palestinian activists, Ben & Jerry’s announced July 19 that it would stop selling ice cream in “Occupied Palestinian Territory.” The Vermont-based ice cream brand said it would continue operating in Israel, suggesting that it is planning to pull its products from stores located in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
July 12, 2021 | Jesse Berman | Baltimore Jewish Times
On Sunday afternoon, a few thousand demonstrators gathered together in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol building to attend “No Fear: Rally in Solidarity with the Jewish People.” The rally was meant as a demonstration against antisemitism, Jewish hatred, and the denial of Jewish rights, said Caren Leven, the executive director of the BZD.
June 15, 2021 | Radio Sefarad
The Baltimore Zionist District (BZD) uses its direct Israeli connection as a home base for the creation of cultural and political programs and educational activities which deal with all aspects of Zionism and modern Israeli life. Its declared mission is “To foster knowledge and understanding of the State of Israel, to facilitate dialogue, to raise awareness, to advocate for a secure future for Israel and nurture the bonds between our local community and Israel.”
May 19, 2021 | Jesse Berman | Baltimore Jewish Times
On Sunday afternoon, a few thousand demonstrators gathered together
Nearly 300 demonstrators, holding handmade signs and with Israeli flags flying in the breeze or draped over their shoulders, fanned out across both sides of Stevenson Road near Chizuk Amuno Congregation on May 13.
May 14, 2021 | Dan Lampariello | Fox 45 News
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WBFF) – A social media post circulating among students at the University of Maryland is causing concern among the area’s Jewish community. The post, which was posted and then allegedly shared by a number of students on Instagram, focuses on the current tension in the Middle East.
May 12, 2021 | Staff Report | JMore
On Thursday, May 13, the Baltimore Zionist District and Stand With Us Mid-Atlantic held a rally in support of Israel on the sidewalk of Stevenson Road, by the Interstate-695 bypass. About 300 people, some draped in Israeli flags, attended.
April 7, 2021 | Jesse Berman | Baltimore Jewish Times
Synagogues and other Jewish organizations in the Baltimore area are preparing to both honor Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror and celebrate the birth of the Jewish nation through events commemorating Yom HaZikaron and celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut.
January 5, 2021 | Staff Report | JMore
The Baltimore Jewish Council and The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore condemned the anti-Semitic comments allegedly posted on social media by a Johns Hopkins University teaching assistant. According to media reports, the teaching assistant was identified as Rasha Anayah, a graduate student in the chemistry department.
December 1, 2020 | Alan Feiler | JMore
“The proper response, as Chanukah teaches, is not to curse the darkness but to light a candle.” –Rabbi Dr. Irving “Yitz” Greenberg, author, theologian, activist and educator. Perhaps more than any other time in recent memory, the lights of the chanukiah will shine brighter and offer more hope and comfort than any other Chanukah season.
October 8, 2020 | Carolyn Conte | Baltimore Jewish Times
It’s not every day you run into a member of a coed combat unit of the Israel Defense Forces. Meet Adi Ratzon, 30, the shlicha for the Baltimore Zionist District. She brings Israeli culture to the Baltimore community through unique programs. Ratzon is originally from Ramat Gan, Israel. She holds a bachelor’s in psychology and sociology from the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo.
June 17, 2020 | Carolyn Conte | Baltimore Jewish Times
Two actors from “Unorthodox,” 30 people, and a parrot gathered around their screens the evening of June 14 for a Baltimore Zionist District discussion of the Netflix show starring Shira Haas about a girl who leaves an ultra-Orthodox community in New York for a new and unknown life in Germany.
June 3, 2020 | JT Staff | Baltimore Jewish Times
In the days since George Floyd’s death on May 25 in Minneapolis, the nation and world have been wracked by protests, fueled by outrage at Floyd’s death and what is viewed as a broader problem with the conduct of American police, particularly in regard to the nation’s black community.
April 22, 2020 | Jesse Berman | Baltimore Jewish Times
Baltimore Zionist District will hold its Virtual Yom Hazikaron Memorial Ceremony on April 27. The digital event replaces what had been a planned in-person event, and is co-hosted by The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, Chizuk Amuno Congregation, the JCC of Greater Baltimore, Friends of the IDF, and Beth Tfiloh Congregation.
July 31, 2019 | Arielle Ashpes | Baltimore Jewish Times
On July 20, the 2019 Tzofim Friendship Caravan arrived at the Baltimore Zionist District (BZD) to perform for five days throughout the Baltimore area. Under the program organization and scheduling from BZD’s executive director, Caren Leven, the Tzofim traveled to various venues to perform throughout Maryland. For the Tzofim, as well as for each audience they performed for, it was a one-of-a-kind experience for everyone who took part.
March 29, 2019 | Victoria Brown | Baltimore Jewish Times
On March 24, Baltimore Zionist District (BZD) hosted an information session about a BZD-led trip to Israel this summer. It marked the beginning of a project through which people can donate toiletries, clothing and food items for the benefit of lone soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces.
December 7, 2018 | Susan Ingram | Baltimore Jewish Times
Her parents met in a kibbutz after her mom left the U.S. for Israel to volunteer during the Yom Kippur War. The young Caren Leven grew up in Haifa in a high-rise “filled with children.” She learned to speak English from her mother and Hebrew from her Israeli father.
November 29, 2018 | Staff Report | JMore
Caren Leven was recently named the new executive director of the Baltimore Zionist District. According to the organization’s website (bzdisrael.org), the Pikesville-based BZD’s mission is to “foster knowledge and understanding of the State of Israel, to facilitate dialogue, to raise awareness, and to advocate for a secure future for Israel.”
March 26, 2018 | Simone Ellin | JMore
Ever wonder how the entries are selected for the William and Irene Weinberg Family Baltimore Jewish Film Festival, now it its 30th year?
It’s an “intense and multi-layered” process, according to Alyson Bonavoglia, artistic director of the Gordon Center for Performing Arts.
