BALTIMORE — The rush is on to prepare for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, at 7 Mile Market in Pikesville—-the largest kosher supermarket in the country.
“It’s like a Shabbat Jewish holiday-type meal, not your regular hamburger and fries,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Shapiro, “That’s what’s bringing everybody out here including myself.”
But the holiday leading up to Yom Kippur next week also comes with a heightened sense of alert as the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel approaches.
Jewish leaders have met with both city and county police to discuss additional security measures over the 10-day holiday.
“We gathered at one of the synagogues with a number of the rabbis and other synagogue leadership and they kind of ran through some of their plans, their deployment plans,” said Howard Libit, executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, “There will be a heavy presence of officers on the different holidays.”
Since October 7, the Baltimore Jewish Council has spent an additional 20 thousand dollars per month on security, and Jewish leaders say anti-Semitic acts across the country are up by as much as 400 percent since the attacks.
“It ranges from graffiti on people’s sidewalks to synagogues having flags torn down or signs defaced,” said Libit, “We’ve been pretty fortunate here. We haven’t had violence in the Baltimore area unlike some other communities, but we’re always thinking it.”
Thoughts to remain vigilant while preparing to celebrate one of the most important Jewish holidays while fearing for those abroad.
“Like many people, I have family, immediate family, I have some children. I’ve got siblings that live in Israel and then besides the extended family—-all of my brother and sisters that are in Israel,” said Shapiro, “It’s hard to put that completely out of our minds at this time, and particularly in the last 48 hours.”
