Need to Know for June 4

BSO supporters urge Hogan to save symphony, BHS holds funeral for Black Rock dogs and more

BSO supporters call on Hogan torelease funds

As of 8 a.m. June 3, nearly 2,000 people have sent emails to Gov. Larry Hogan requesting that he release $3.2 million earmarked for the financially struggling Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, according to the musicians. Percussionist Brian Prechtl, co-chair of the Baltimore Symphony Musicians players’ committee, said 1,813 emails have been sent to the governor since the call for support went out late May 31–1,339 of which came from Maryland representing, Prechtl noted, all six of the state’s Congressional districts, according to Baltimore Fishbowl. Reached for comment, Michael Ricci, a spokesman for Hogan, pointed out the BSO already receives more grant money than any other arts organization in the state. Locked in a labor dispute since last fall, the musicians and management are battling over whether or not the orchestra can remain a year-round institution. The BSO’s board has asked for the schedule to be cut down from 52 weeks so the orchestra can sustain itself, while the players have said such a move would damage the orchestra’s reputation when they’re already making less than peer organizations. With those financial struggles in mind, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill to give the BSO an additional $3.2 million over the next two years and form a working group to make recommendations on the future.

Baltimore Humane Society tohold funeral for Black Rock dogs

The cremation ashes of the 27 deceased dogs discovered at the Black Rock Road illegal breeding operation are being buried June 6 at 10 a.m. at Baltimore Humane Society Memorial Park, according to a press release from BHS. More than 50 dogs were discovered in April at an illegal breeding operation at 4302 Black Rock Road in Hampstead, in what court records called “the most extreme filth.” While efforts have been made to help the surviving dogs, Baltimore Humane Society feels it’s equally important to give a peaceful, respectful memorial for those 27 who did not survive. Baltimore Humane Society is burying the dogs’ remains in its pet cemetery so they can at last have a final peaceful resting place. The funeral begins at 10 a.m. at Baltimore Humane Society Memorial Park Cemetery at, 1601 Nicodemus Road, Reisterstown. Along with a dedication of a memorial, there will be 27 empty collars displayed with each of the names given by the shelter to represent those 27 dogs who did not survive. The public is invited to attend the service and placing of the stone and flowers.

Also see: Baltimore Humane Society

Lawmakerslaunch congressional black-Jewish caucus

Three black and two Jewish members of the U.S. House of Representatives from both parties launched a black-Jewish caucus. “The African-American and Jewish communities have a history of standing together for the promotion of social justice and civil rights,” Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., said June 3 at the annual Global Forum of the American Jewish Committee. “To encourage and nurture this unique partnership, I have formed the Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations with the hopes of strengthening the trust and advancing our issues in a collective manner.” The caucus, launched after an AJC-convened meeting in January, will work to bring blacks and Jews together to back hate crimes legislation and combat white supremacist ideology and actions. White supremacists carried out two lethal attacks on synagogues since last October, in Pittsburgh and in Poway, Calif. The other members are Reps. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., Will Hurd, R-Texas and John Lewis, D-Ga., a revered veteran of the 1960s civil rights marches. Along with Lawrence, present at the AJC event were Zeldin and Wasserman Schultz, who are both Jewish.–JTA

Sobibor Railway Station. (Jacques Lahitte)

Last Living Survivor of Nazi DeathCamp Sobibor Dies

The last living survivor of the Nazi death camp Sobibor has died. Semion Rosenfeld died on June 3 at a hospital in central Israel at the age of 96. He moved to Israel from the Ukraine in 1990, according to the Jerusalem Post. Sobibor was built and operated by the SS during World War II near the railway station of Sobibor in Poland. At least 200,000 Jews were murdered in the gas chambers at Sobibor though some have put the number as high as 350,000. The camp was destroyed by the Germans at the end of 1943. Rosenfeld, who was born in Ukraine, was drafted into the Red Army in 1940 to fight the Nazis. He was captured and taken as a prisoner of war in 1941. He was transferred to Sobibor in 1943, and participated in the Sobibor uprising in September of that year. He was one of the 300 prisoners that managed to escape the camp, and one of only 47 who survived in the days after the uprising. He hid in the woods with a small group of prisoners until spring 1944, when they were liberated by the Red Army, which he rejoined and participated in the capture of Berlin by the Soviet forces, according to Ynet. He was demobilized in October 1945. He is survived by two sons and five grandchildren in Israel and the United States.–JTA

JBiz Entrepreneur

Join Jmore for the second annual celebration of Baltimore’s Jewish entrepreneurs June 4 at the Maryland Historical Society. Click here for tickets and more information.

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