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We are attempting to get a Shabbos siren here in Baltimore, but require city approval. Does anyone in the CR have experieince with the communtities Shabbos siren? I’d be curious to know the location, duration of siren and frequency and if possible the approx. decibel level. Any help is appreciated.
There is a siren atop the Yeshiva Toras Emes Kaminetz building in Midwood (Flatbush).
It sounds twice erev Shabbos.
I suggest you call YTEK with questions.
ICOT- what are the timings that those sirens go off? (ie: how many minutes before shabbos?) thanks.
havesomeseichel-
About five minutes (I think) before licht tzindin, and then again at licht tzindin.
im not sure if this is true but i heard that the police used to give a ticket to kamenetz every week for the ”disturbing sound”, and someone every week sponsored the ticket.
its actually 10 minutes before licht bentchin and again at licht bentchin. However, I thought it was on top of the main Hatzalah on Ocean Ave?
I too always thought it was on the Hatzalah building on Ave N & Ocean!
I realize Eretz Yisroel is different from the US, but in the Bayit Vegan section of Yerushalayim, they play music for about 5 minutes before licht bentchin. Then the music stops and they blast the siren. It’s really quite a pleasant way to give a warning that it’s getting late.
Curious who the “we” are. If anyone is around who is close to channeling Rabbi Neuberger, zt”l, please bounce it off him first.
when i went to israel i heard the siren, it was amazing they never would something like that in mexico..well who knows, they said that with hatzala and now we have it for more then ten years.
Thank you to all that answered my question about timing… funny how people have such varied ideas about time/place! well, at least you have one!
I think it’s great (living in flatbush) but i think it’s only good for a tremendous frum community like flatbush and BP. But baltimore isn’t such a tremendous community and sometimes goyim can get very upset.
Yesterday, Friday Oct. 23, the zman hadlokas neiros for zip code 11230 (where the siren is located) was:
5:45:48 (according to myzmanim.com)
5:47 (according to hebcal.com)
The siren sounded at 5:41 and then again at 5:48 (times verified on a Verizon cell phone).
The duration of the powered siren was 30 seconds (plus several additional seconds as the siren wound down).
Hope this helps.
I live in Boro Park and personally find the siren very anoying. It’s much too loud, goes on for far too long and is very reminicent of war and danger–which is not a nice way to go into Shabbos. For a while music was played, which obviously was much more pleasant.
In Flatbush they did it without permission and the neighbors are still angry.
It’s legal. Otherwise they couldn’t do it. They have a city permit.
It is too low in Flatbush.
To fialkoff: any updates?
It is on the Kaminetz building…and maybe you should ask the surrounding neighborhoods first(non-Jews and Jews alike!). Some non-Jews really dont appreciate the flatbush one (our neighbors constantly complain) and even some elderly Frum community members have complained to me that the siren is a scary sound and not s/t they exactly look forward to hearing. Having a Shabbos siren is a nice thing to have but be careful when doing s/t to enhance your Yiddishkiet that you don’t create a Chilul HaShem in process!
Reminding you of war? It reminds me of shabbos!!! So calm and beautiful!!!
but church bells and brooklyn college’s bells going off every 2 minutes isn’t a problem!
i am so used to the siren that i would probabaly think something happened if music went on……
I live in the flatbush area and I hear the Shabbat siren. I think it is wonderful. But the goyim have their church bells ringing as well!! I think it’s coming from the church on Ave P or the one on Ave O. I hear them ringing every hour.(except at night) (I nickname them the Golus Bells and use it as a reminder that we are in Golus) On Sunday mornings at 9:00 am, I hear organ music as well.
I’m curious – I grew up in Baltimore, and lived there for 40+ years until we were zoche to make aliyah – why does the community need a siren? Are the clocks in Pikesville/Park Heights/Greenspring that inaccurate that people need to hear a siren? They can’t tell that it’s late by looking at a clock?
It’s very easy there to tell it’s late – the closer it is to Shabbat, the faster and wilder the cars are with people driving all of two blocks to get to shule.
And HIE writes “I think it’s great (living in flatbush) but i think it’s only good for a tremendous frum community like flatbush and BP. But baltimore isn’t such a tremendous community . . .”
I personally believe the same thing – sirens are only good for a tremendous frum community like Yerushalayim or Bnai Brak – but Flatbush isn’t such a tremendous community . . .
If I have to listen to church bells early on Sunday morning, the non-Jews can listen to the siren for 30 seconds late Friday afternoon.
Oomis, I beg to differ. I don’t know the source of the bells, but I don’t think it’s at all analogous. And what happens when a large Arab population moves in and wants their veckers to make a ruckus early in the morning (and late in the evening)? Let’s not make waves. Baltimore’s been doing just fine. I know, Rabbi Frand’s message this year in various teshuva talks has been about the inner connection between Shabbos and teshuva and the beauty and value of strengthening shemiras Shabbos. I really, really, really don’t think he ever dreamed of a siren in making mental lists of what we can do more l’kavod Shabbos.
Again, I really, really want to know what reputable leaders in Baltimore are saying about this.
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