A Community Built on Torah and Hospitality

Baltimore’s Orthodox community runs from Park Heights southward into Pikesville, and outward through Greenspring, Stevenson, Mount Washington, and the Glen. At its center sits Yeshivas Ner Yisroel — Ner Israel Rabbinical College — founded by Rav Yaakov Ruderman zt”l in 1933, and still one of the major American yeshivos with hundreds of bochurim and yungeleit learning daily. Bais Yaakov of Baltimore is among the largest Bais Yaakovs in the country, and Talmudical Academy, Bnos Yisroel, and Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community Day School together feed thousands of children through the Baltimore Jewish school day. Star-K Kosher Certification, one of the largest kashrus agencies in the country, is headquartered right here on Reisterstown Road.

Smith Avenue alone is a whole neighborhood: shuls like Shomrei Emunah, Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion, and Suburban Orthodox within blocks of each other; Seven Mile Market and the kosher bakeries; the families walking to Shabbos seudos from one end to the other. Baltimore is famous in the Orthodox world for its warmth — for the readiness to host, the readiness to feed, the readiness to find a place at the table for the bochur with nowhere to be on Yom Tov. We ship to all of it. UPS Ground from our California farm reaches Baltimore in 4 business days, which means a Monday-morning order arrives in time for Shabbos every week.

The Yom Tov Calendar in Baltimore

Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur

Tishrei in Baltimore brings the bein hazmanim home — bochurim back from Ner Yisroel and yeshivos out of town, married children with einiklach, full Yom Tov tables across Park Heights and Pikesville. Dates anchor the simanim plate alongside apples and honey, the head of a fish, pomegranates, and the rest of the seder of the night. Soft, caramel-rich Medjools are the natural fit. Most Baltimore families need 2–3 pounds across the two-day Yom Tov; larger households or those hosting bochurim, more. After the Yom Kippur fast, three or four whole Medjools with water makes a gentle break before the seudah comes to the table.

Sukkos

For eight days the sukkos rise across Park Heights, Glen, Pikesville, and the rest of Jewish Baltimore — many homes building, most homes hosting at least once. The date palm itself is part of the festival: a single closed palm frond is the body of the lulav. The same tree gives us the dates we eat under the schach. Whole Medjools as a centerpiece bowl, golden Zahidi chopped into harvest salads with squash and pomegranate, plenty for chol hamoed afternoons when school’s out and the children are home from TA, BY, and Bnos.

Tu B’Shvat

Tu B’Shvat in Baltimore is taken seriously across the schools and the shuls. Bais Yaakov classrooms hold programs around the Seven Species; TA and Bnos run their own; Beth Tfiloh families assemble fruit plates for school events. Many Baltimore families hold a full Tu B’Shvat seder — four cups of wine and a procession of fruits with brachos and divrei Torah. We recommend a multi-pound mix of Medjool and Zahidi for the seder, plus date silan for families who use it on Tu B’Shvat in lieu of honey, drawing the holiday’s sweetness from the Seven Species themselves. Schools and shuls running programs should contact us for bulk orders well before the date.

Pesach, Shabbos, and Year-Round

Pesach prep in Baltimore starts weeks early — kashering kitchens, sourcing ingredients, the long lists for Seven Mile Market and the bakeries. Dates appear in charoses, in Pesach desserts, and as a natural sweetener through the eight days. Year-round, dates show up at seudah shlishit, in challah recipes, and in the lunchboxes packed for the morning carpool down Park Heights Avenue.

Family Quantities, Bulk for Yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs

Baltimore is a community where bulk orders make sense — large families, large seudos, and a network of yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs running programs all year. A standard 1-pound bag is a starting point; most Baltimore families need more.

What’s in the Bag

Hand-harvested whole dates from our family farm in Sky Valley, California — the heart of America’s Coachella Valley date country. Single-ingredient. No added sugar, no preservatives, no oil coatings. The ingredient list on every package is one word long.

Naturally kosher. Whole, unprocessed fruit with no additives. We do not currently carry a kosher certification mark — please check with your rav if certification is important for your observance.