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October 23, 2009I was extremely disappointed with Amy Landsman’s “Urbanite… Suburbanite.” She never mentions B’nai Israel Congregation, located at the corner of Lloyd and Lombard Streets, as a vibrant Modern Orthodox shul in existence since 1873 and operating at its 27 Lloyd St. location since 1895.
Our members live in many of the inner city neighborhoods that make up the downtown area such as Little Italy, Butchers Hill, Locust Point, Federal Hill, Fells Point, Brooklyn, Curtis Bay, Lakeland, Mount Claire, Charles Center, Canton, Mount Royal, not to mention Mt. Washington, Upper Park Heights area as well as the surrounding Baltimore County areas of Pikesville, Randallstown, Owings Mills, Lutherville, and Halethorpe then there are those who come in from Columbia area. I’m sure there are other areas I have missed.
The B’nai Israel family is made up of many different inner city neighborhoods as well as outlying ones too. I am sure Beth Am (Up town on Eutaw St.) has such membership as well. B’nai Israel has been in existence to serve the Jews of downtown Baltimore in three different centuries, no other shul in the downtown area can claim that honor today.
I just don’t understand how B’nai Israel Congregation can be ignored in this article.
I invite not only the staff of the Baltimore Jewish Times to attend a shabbos service at BI, but I want to extend an invitation to all the Jews of downtown Baltimore and the surrounding metropolitan area to B’nai Israel. You will be pleasantly surprised by what you see and hear.
Ben Bark
B’nai Israel Congregation Board of Directors