Boston, MA - Plane Carrying Sen. Kennedy Struck By Lightning

Boston, MA - A plane carrying U.S Sen. Edward M. Kennedy from a commencement speech in western Massachusetts to his Cape Cod home on Saturday was struck by lightning and had to be diverted to New Haven, Conn., a Kennedy spokesperson said.

The plane lost all electrical power and the pilot had to fly the plane manually, No one was hurt.

Washington Heights, NY - Suspect In Elevator Slay Of Jewish Man Was Caught

Washington Heights, NY - Cops were questioning a hulking ex-con last night as the suspect in the killing of a beloved Washington Heights grandfather in a brutal elevator mugging, police said.

Six-foot-6 William Hill, 24, was brought into the 34th Precinct station house at 7 p.m. after cops began looking for him in the murder of Jacob Gerstle, 81. Gerstle, a father of four and a well-known member of the local synagogue, died three days after the May 2 attack, when he was followed into his building on Bennett Avenue and pummeled to death.

Police identified Hill as the suspect in the attack on Gerstle and at least four similar elevator muggings of seniors in Washington Heights. Cops believe Hill attacked the other victims in May and June of last year, but the attack on Gerstle, in which his wallet containing $250 and his cellphone were taken, was the only deadly robbery, police said. Police could not immediately comment on how they tracked down Hill, who has a history of robberies.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Commercial Fire+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Commercial Fire+ A heavy commercial fire at fried's supermarket a kosher grocery store, Shabbos afternoon on the first floor of a one story 25x50 brick building at 1048 46th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway, FD Batt. 40 requested extra engines and trucks, fire on arrival was heavy and d/w/h all hands were requested.

Belarus - Mass Grave of Holocaust Victims Found

Belarus - A mass grave of Jews killed by Nazis during World War II has been discovered at Smalyarka, Byaroza District, Brest Region.

According to official records, photographs and witnesses' reports collected by a special commission after the war, around 1,500 Jews were executed and buried in four mass graves there.
The excavations were initiated by a local couple of business owners, Halina and Alik Arslanow. Students studying at the general education school in the village of Bronnaya Hara found official papers about the massacre site in the Brest Regional Public Record Office.
The remains of Holocaust victims were discovered some 0.3 to 0.5 metres below the ground surface. The grave was 5 m. wide and 10 m. long.

Jewish community in Brest have not yet decided what to do with the remains. The couple said that they were ready to put up a memorial at the site with their own money.

Brooklyn, NY +MVA With Overturned Vehicle+

Brooklyn, NY +MVA With Overturned Vehicle+ A serious motor vehicle accident between two vehicles with one auto that overturned and aided trapped inside on Gerritsen Avenue between Avenue's "U" and "V", Hatzolah on the scene requesting additional units to respond with two ambulances, PD on the scene requesting ESU, FD E-321 also on the scene

Birmingham, Ala - Democratic Candidate For AG Denies Holocaust Occurred

Birmingham, Ala - A Democratic candidate for Alabama attorney general denies the Holocaust occurred and said he will speak this weekend in New Jersey to a "pro-white" organization that is widely viewed as being racist.

Larry Darby concedes his views are radical, but he said they should help him win wide support among Alabama voters as he tries to "reawaken white racial awareness" with his campaign against Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson.

Democratic Party leaders are wondering what to do about the candidate. The state Democratic chairman, Joe Turnham, said the party began an investigation after hearing about some of Darby's comments.
While the party supports the free-speech rights of any candidate, Turnham said some of Darby's views appear to be in "a realm of thought that is unacceptable." "Any type of hatred toward groups of people, especially for political gain, is completely unacceptable in the Alabama Democratic Party," said Turnham.

It is unclear whether the party could do anything at this point, although the party could decline to certify the results should he win.

Freehold, NJ - Judge Appoints Fiscal Agent To Sort Out Dwek's Properties

Freehold, NJ - A Superior Court judge ended a hearing on Solomon Dwek's real estate empire by appointing a fiscal agent to help sort out the more than 200 properties controlled by embattled investor.

Judge Alexander D. Lehrer appointed Donald M. Lomurro of the Lomurro, Davison, Eastman and Munzo law firm, to begin reviewing Dwek's assets and report back to the court. Lomurro will act as a fact finder for the judge, who will try to untangle the complex business and real estate transactions. "The chaos, speculation and uncertainty will end here, now," Lehrer told the courtroom, which was packed with more than 100 lawyers, bankers, partners and observers.

Lomurro will begin his job immediately and work through the weekend, Lehrer said. His primary task will be to classify the different parties with interests in the real estate, such as mortgage holders and business partners. "This is a complex commercial piece of litigation that will be resolved by business people in a business manner," Lehrer said.

Dwek did not attend the hearing. Dwek is free on $10 million bond. Dwek's attorney, Robert A. Weir Jr., Red Bank, said his client wanted to work out the claims Thursday, but the arrest interfered with that. "Instead of walking in with funds today to settle it, we're a little behind," Weir said. "We are not running away. We are going to address it."

Washington, DC - +FBI Raid On Former CIA Executive Director+

Washington, DC - +FBI Raid On Former CIA Executive Director+ Law enforcement officials executed search warrants on the house and office of the CIA's outgoing executive director.

The agency's third ranking official, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, has been under investigation by the FBI, IRS, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the CIA's inspector general.

Under a sealed warrant, officials searched Foggo's Virginia home and his office at the CIA's Langley, Va., campus.

Albany, NY - Pataki aide charged with DWI

Albany, NY - A press spokesman for Republican Gov. George Pataki was charged with driving while intoxicated Thursday night after Albany police accused him of hitting a parked car and driving off.

Joseph Conway, 40, was driving in Albany when witnesses saw him rear-end a parked car, police said. The witnesses followed Conway's car and called police, who said they soon found Conway sitting in his car parked at an intersection. Albany Police Detective James Miller said Conway had "glassy eyes, slurred speech and a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath," when the officers found him. Conway then failed a field sobriety test and later failed a Breathalyzer exam at the police station.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Conway was arraigned this morning in Albany City Criminal Court and released.

New York, NY - New Time To Pickup Your Trash Can

New York, NY - New York City residents now have until 9 p.m. on collection days to retrieve their empty trash cans from the curb under a new law signed yesterday by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Before, empty cans were to be moved immediately. The new law also specifies that if trash is collected after 4 p.m., residents have until 9 a.m. the following day to retrieve the cans.

Rockland County, NY - Aid Bill For Volunteer Ambulance And Firefighters Passes Assembly

Rockland County, NY - An Assembly bill sponsored by Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski of Rockland County that would include school taxes in the real property tax exemption for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers in Rockland County if the school district decides to opt in, passed the Assembly unanimously.

The bill has yet to be acted upon in the Senate.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - +Suspicious Package+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - +Suspicious Package+ An unattended suspicious black suitcase in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY on Lynch Street to Harrison Avenue, NYPD of the 90th PCt are on the scene requesting ESU to respond

Ocean Township, NJ - Real Estate Mogul Solomon Dwek Arrested

Ocean Township, NJ - Real estate millionaire developer Solomon Dwek vice president of the Deal Yeshiva and son of Rabbi Isaac Dwek, a leader in the Sephardic Jewish community and the head of the Synagogue of Deal, a prominent Monmouth County rabbi, was arrested at his Ocean Township home and was charged with trying to defraud a bank of more than $50 million.

Solomon Dwek, 33, of Ocean Township, was accused of depositing a bogus $25 million check at the PNC Bank in Eatontown last month and spending $22 million of it before he was caught. He then tried to deposit a second bogus $25 million check at a different PNC branch, but employees stopped him, he was arrested without incident by a law enforcement task force that included members of the FBI, the Monmouth and Ocean County prosecutor's offices, and the Brick police department.

Dwek had his initial appearance in U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, Newark in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk. He was charged with bank fraud, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Dwek appeared in court with his feet shackled and his hands cuffed behind his back. Federal marshals made him remove his belt after his arrest. As he stood before Falk, he tugged clumsily at his pants to keep them from falling down. His father and other family members were in court with him.

The U.S. Attorney's Office argued Dwek is a significant flight risk because of the amount of money involved and asked for high bail. Falk set bail at $10 million. The amount is secured by $3 million of equity in the Deal homes of Dwek's mother-in-law and sister-in-law. Dwek and his wife, Pearl, were ordered to surrender their passports.

Woodbury, NY - Public Forum On Toll Barrier Improvements

Woodbury, NY - The New York State Thruway Authority has begun work on the Woodbury Mobility Improvement project.

The project will improve operations at the existing Woodbury toll barrier, located in the Town of Woodbury and the Village of Harriman. Plans include introducing the use of Highway Speed E-ZPass and reconstructing the approaches in this section along I-87.

An informal public open house on this project will be held by the Thruway Authority on Tuesday, May 23 from 6-8 p.m. at the Central Valley Elementary School, located at 45 Route 32, Central Valley, NY.

Lagos, Nigeria +Oil Pipeline Exploded+

Lagos, Nigeria +Oil Pipeline Exploded+ An oil pipeline exploded in Nigeria and up to 200 people are feared dead from the blast.

The fiery explosion hit after villagers flocked to a rupture to scoop up gushing fuel. The explosion hit just outside the big city of Lagos.

People often tap into the pipelines to steal fuel.

U.S. Senators Praised For Synagogue Security Funding

The Orthodox Union presented awards to two senators for allowing non-profit groups to receive federal homeland security funds.

The Orthodox Union presented its “Friend of the Synagogue” award at its annual Senate luncheon to Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) for their work in making sure religious non-profits such as synagogues were eligible for funds that have been used to bolster security.

Civil liberties groups lobbied against the funds, saying they violated church-state separation

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on New York Avenye and Avenue "J", with some injured, Hatzolah on the scene.

Brooklyn Fire Sale

Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY - The charred ruins of the city's biggest fire in more than a decade are being used to line the already deep pockets of the ravaged site's owner - who is literally selling the rubble off brick by brick.

Dozens of century-old, giant wooden beams and thousands of bricks from the destroyed Greenpoint Terminal Market are being carted away and sold.
The red bricks from the warehouse's crushed walls are priced at 15 cents for lots of 10, and the magnificent roof beams - cut from durable wood that can be recycled into new flooring - are being hawked for about $1,500 each.
Even the beams that were scorched black are selling fast, wood is just like toast. Scrape off the burnt part and it's like new.

The bricks and beams began being carted away in huge trucks when the elder Guttman, 58, the site's owner, made a rare appearance at the site, escorted by his son.
"You and the media make me guilty," Joshua Guttman yelled at a photographer before driving away in an SUV.

Several Greenpoint residents whose homes were temporarily shrouded by the blaze's black smoke were outraged. "It's disgusting, but that's business as usual for a person like Guttman," said Phil DePaolo, 45, of the community group the People's Firehouse. "Their interest is always money. That's the bottom line of a developer."

Bronx, NY +Major Traffic Delays On W/B Cross Bronx Expressway+

Bronx, NY +Major Traffic Delays On W/B Cross Bronx Expressway+ Due to a motor vehicle accident on the westbound of the Cross Bronx Expressway, NYPD Highway Units are reporting the expressway is at a stand still, major delays in the area.

When a Jew Sues How do rabbinical courts work?

Last month's passing of Satmar Grand Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum has provoked a widely publicized dispute over which of his sons will control the Orthodox Jewish sect he led for 26 years.

Beyond the matter of who will control these assets, this dispute (which reportedly began more than seven years ago) raises a number of general questions regarding the appropriate legal system for the resolution of disputes within the Jewish community. For instance: What is the province of a rabbinical court (also known as a beit din)? Are Jewish disputants permitted to settle their differences in a secular court? Which law is applicable--Jewish law or secular law? Who decides?

The overarching Jewish law principle in all such matters is "gadol hashalom" or, roughly translated, "peace is great." A worthwhile objective, though as the Rabbi's and many others can attest, it's often a long time in coming.

Amnesty International Slams Russia On Anti Semitisim

An Amnesty International report titled “Violent Racism Out of Control, said that Russia should do more to curtail a rising trend of xenophobic attacks.
According to the report,” 28 people were murdered and 366 were assaulted in racial attacks in Russia in 2005. “While we recognize that some representatives of the authorities, including” President Vladimir Putin, “have acknowledged the problem, we believe that the authorities are failing to take adequate steps to tackle the issue,” said Victoria Webb, an Amnesty researcher on Russia.

The report also advises the Russian government to work more closely with anti-racism organizations and provide them with increased protection.

Freehold, NJ - PNC Bank Disputes Joseph Dwek's Claim On Properties

Freehold, NJ - PNC Bank, which has accused Solomon Dwek of defrauding it of $20 million, said a recent claim by Dwek's uncle that he -- not the younger Dwek -- is the true owner of $60 million in properties is "fraught with questions.''

A Superior Court judge last week froze all of Dwek's assets, which led to Joseph Dwek, 54, of Brooklyn, Solomon Dwek's uncle, to file a claim in court asking that the freeze be lifted on some of the properties, he said he had asked his nephew to buy the properties on his behalf but didn't realize until last month that all the properties were actually in the name of Solomon Dwek and his companies.

PNC Bank said Joseph Dwek's claim to unfreeze the assets should be denied because there was no written agreement for the deal for three years until April 24, the same day Solomon Dwek bounced a $25 million check at the bank. Moreover, the $20 million Solomon Dwek, 33 of Ocean Township, is accused of taking was transfered to HSBC Bank, where Joseph Dwek has his lines of credit, according to the court papers.

One corporation that Joseph Dwek owns, Yeshuah LLC, was not formed until last week, even though the elder Dwek claims the he owns all the properties through that company, the bank said.

The matter is scheduled to be heard by Superior Court Judge Alexander D. Lehrer Friday.

Brooklyn, NY - Greenpoint Residents Call For Investigation Into Warehouse Fire

Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY - A week after a massive fire tore through a warehouse, residents are looking for answers.

The fire has been labeled suspicious by the Fire Department. Now members of the North Brooklyn Alliance, one of the groups behind the redevelopment of Greenpoint, are calling for an independent investigation into what caused the fire.

They also want the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor the clean-up of the site.

Residents also say they are concerned about what will ultimately go up in place of the warehouse. The current plan is for residential and commercial development on the site, while residents favor more open space.

New York, NY - City Council Considers Horse Carriage Limits

New York, NY - The city council is considering new legislation to confine horse drawn carriages to Central Park.

City Councilman Tony Avella says the horse drawn carriages belong in the past and are just too dangerous for Midtown traffic.

The ASPCA says it fully supports legislation restricting horse drawn carriages to Central Park.

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident on Ocean Avenue and Avenue "I" with a pedestrian that was struck, PD on the scene, Hatzolah responding.

Borough Park, Brooklyn +MVA Involving A School Bus+

Borough Park, Brooklyn +MVA Involving A School Bus+ A motor vehicle between a car and a school bus on 15th Avenue between 43rd and 44th Street's Hatzolah responding.

Brooklyn Battery Tunnel MVA

Brooklyn Battery Tunnel MVA, A motor vehicle accident within the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel Manhattan bound, Hatzolah responding with a few ambulances, for multiple aided, none are life threatening, PAPD and FD are also on the scene.

Queens, NY - Fastest Way To JFK Still By Taxi

Queens, NY - Testing the best route to the airport, the Wall Street Journal, sent five reporters to J.F.K.'s Airport to the JetBlue terminal from its lower Manhattan office at 5:15 on a Friday afternoon. The standard yellow taxi beat the bus, a car service, the subway/AirTrain combination and even the fancy new 8-minute helicopter service.

The trip via cab took 66 minutes but cost $60 with tolls and tip.

Edgware, London - Building Of Eruv Delayed

Edgware, London - The erection of an eruv has been delayed while organizers await delivery of several poles.

Barnet Council granted a licence in December for the religious zone, which is to be constructed using poles, interconnecting wires, walls, train lines and other geographical features. It had been hoped that the eruv would be up and running in January, but Harvey Brown, chairman of the Edgware Eruv Committee, did not want to speculate on when the new date would be. He said: "We are still waiting for two or three poles which will hopefully be erected and then we can proceed."

Once the eruv is in place, Rabbi Zvi Lieberman, of the Edgware Adath Yisroel synagogue, Hale Lane, Edgware, will inspect it to make sure it follows religious guidelines.

The zone will run from Stonegrove to northern Edgware via Mill Hill.

Lakewood, NJ - FBI Enlisted To Help In Search For Abduction Suspect

Lakewood, NJ - Investigators have now reached out to the FBI to help find a man who abducted a young woman from a parking lot Sunday night, and assaulted her and then returned her to the lot seven hours later.

Mayor Meir Lichtenstein confirmed the township has reached out to the FBI for help in the investigation. Lichtenstein said the decision was made between the Lakewood Police Department and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

"We are going to be tapping into their resources,'' Lichtenstein said.

Monsey, NY +Hit-And-Run+

Rockland County, Monsey, NY +Hit-And-Run+ Ramapo Police are searching for a dark blue vehicle a Chevy Caprice that hit a pedestrian from NJ on Route 306 and Phyllis Terrace when he was unloading construction materials from his parked car, the driver of the vehicle was a male wearing Hasidic attire, the vehicle was last seen southbound on Route 306, the pedestrian that was struck has non life threatening injuries.

Brooklyn, NY +Multiple Vehicle MVA+

Brooklyn, NY +Multiple Vehicle MVA+ A motor vehicle accident involving multiple vehicles on the westbound Belt Parkway between exit 14 and 15, Hatzolah on the scene, FDNY EMS ALS and BLS are working on the scene.
NYPD blocking off the right and center lanes.

New Square, NY +Structure Fire+

New Square, NY +Structure Fire+ A structure fire caused by an overheated electrical cord that spread quickly from the basement to the 2nd floor through the closets with large smoke showing at a 60x40 multiple dwelling at 56 Washington Avenue, Hatzolah and Hillcrest FD on the scene with about 40 firefighters from Spring Valley Fire Department, Ramapo Police and Rockland Paramedics.

U/D: 10:17
No one trapped or injured. Rockland County Sherrifs Dept. are on the scene for the investigation.

Hundreds watched as firefighters extinguished the fire, Gordon Wren Jr., the county's fire coordinator said a community volunteer group assisted with crowd and traffic control. "They were pretty helpful," Wren said. "They were directing traffic so we could get the trucks in."

New York - Local Governments Gets Funding For Highway Improvement

New York - Assembly members Annie Rabbitt and Joel Miller announced increased funding for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPs) to several municipalities in their respective districts.
“CHIPs money is important for the sheer fact that infrastructure maintenance is necessary to keep us safe,” said Rabbitt. “This money will be used by our local governments to improve our roads and highways, something we sometimes take for granted.”

“One of the top complaints my office receives is the poor condition of certain roadways,” said Miller. “CHIPs money is to be used by our local governments for the upkeep and maintenance of our roads and highways.

In 2005 CHIPs program gave the Town of Monroe $49,038 this year the will get $55,404. The Village of Kiryas Joel got in 2005 $13,983, this year they will get $15,073.

Brooklyn, NY - Two Controversial Developers Are Pouring Thousands Into Councilman Yassky's Congressional Campaign

Brooklyn, NY - The Kestenbaum family and Joshua Guttman are just two of the land barons who have given more than $50,000 to Yassky, according to filings. "Subliminally or subconsciously, these folks probably get more access [to Yassky] when the phone rings," said Neal Rosenstein, a government reform coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group.

After Guttman's Greenpoint Terminal Market went up in flames in a suspicious fire last week, Yassky returned a $500 contribution. Guttman has denied involvement in the fire, the city's largest since 9/11.

A Williamsburg preservationists pointed to the Austin, Nichols & Co. warehouse at 184 Kent Ave., which the City Council voted not to give landmark status to in November. As representative of the district, Yassky was the force behind the nonlandmark vote.
The building is owned by brothers Louis and Moshe Kestenbaum - who in 1991 pleaded guilty to a scheme to sell cosmetics and groceries intended for the former Soviet Union. Instead, the Kestenbaums and three others were convicted of illegally selling them in the U.S. for a $4 million profit.

In the last two years, Yassky has gotten a total $2,100 from Louis Kestenbaum's son, Joel, and $3,000 from two Kestenbaum business associates.

Yassky officials said he was unaware of the Kestenbaums' crimes. "Experiences shows us that when a candidate is receiving hundreds if not thousands of contributions, it's next to impossible to know what each contributor has done years and years ago that might raise a question," said Yassky election lawyer Jerry Goldfeder. "We look at all the contribution checks, and we scrutinize them as best we can."

Israel - Supreme Court Upholds Law That Allows Ultra-Orthodox Exemptions From Army

Israel - The Supreme Court upheld a law allowing ultra-Orthodox Israelis exemptions from army service, leaving intact a measure that has strained relations between religious and secular Israelis.

Petitioners against the law had hoped the court would cancel it and require the religious Jews to serve in the military, as most eligible Israelis have to do. The so-called Tal Law allows at least 30,000 ultra-Orthodox men not to serve based on the claim that religious studies are their profession.

Washington Heights, NY - Police Identify Mugger

New York, NY - Police have new information about the mugger who beat and killed an elderly man in Washington Heights last week.

There is a reward for $12,000 for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of a 24-year-old who police say beat Jacob Gertstle, 81, and stole $40.00 from him after returning home from a synagogue to his Washington Heights apartment building. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly identified the alleged killer as William Hill. .

It is believed by police, that he is also responsible for four similar attacks last year in the same neighborhood. 
Authorities say Hill has been arrested for multiple violent crimes in the past.

New York, NY - Harbor Greets World's Biggest Cruise Ship

New York, NY - The world's largest cruise ship, Freedom of the Seas, arrived in the New York Harbor and will remain in the area for the next several days.

The Ship is rising 208 feet above the water line, nearly twice as tall of the Statue of Liberty, It will make stops at Pier 92 on the west side of Manhattan, Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, NJ, and it will anchor Friday morning near the Statue of Liberty.

Deal, NJ - Uncle Says Dwek Pulled Fast One

Deal, NJ - Real estate mogul Solomon Dwek used $60.2 million of his uncle's money to buy 129 residential and commercial properties since 2003 but didn't put the properties into his uncle's name as promised, the elder Dwek claimed in court papers.
Joseph Dwek of Brooklyn said his nephew does not rightfully own the New Jersey properties and asked a Superior Court judge to change his order that froze all of Solomon Dwek's assets last week.

Judge Alexander D. Lehrer, sitting in Freehold, issued the order after PNC Bank accused Solomon Dwek of bouncing a $25.2 million check he had written April 24. The next day, Joseph Dwek said, he demanded that Solomon Dwek put the properties in his name.

PNC said it is still owed $20 million on the check Dwek deposited at a drive-through teller window in Eatontown.

Russian Sets Up Jewish Lobby

A Russian businessman,Viatcheslav Kantor, is on a mission to turn wealthy Russian Jews into major political and philanthropic forces. Mr. Kantor, an agrochemical magnate who chairs the 100-member Russian Jewish Congress, is in America to discuss strengthening Russia's Jewish lobby, and encouraging charitable giving among Russian Jews.

Mr. Kantor, 52, said the Jewish lobby in Russia "doesn't exist at all as a separate political power," but that a surge of anti-Semitic attacks in recent years has highlighted the need for the community to strengthen its relationship with the Kremlin.

NYPD Flooding Borough Park For Fake-Cop Hunt

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY - The NYPD is flooding Borough Park with dozens of anti-crime cops in a bid to nab a pervert who tries to lure young girls into his car by waving a phony police badge at them.

The department - in response to four recent incidents in the same neighborhood - has taken two to four plainclothes cops from each of the 12 precincts in the Brooklyn South command and assigned them to the hunt for the sicko. "We're hoping that he makes a mistake and messes up before he seriously attacks someone," said one cop who is taking part in the hunt.

Lakewood, NJ - Residents Wondering Why Police Presence Has Dwindled

Lakewood, NJ - Seth Haber came to the Town Hall to get sketches of the rape suspect that abducted an Orthodox Jewish woman, so he could pass them around. “It's our No. 1 priority, nothing will supersede this right now,” Haber said.

But Lou Follman is staying close to his family because he doesn't see any police around, “I'm concerned, I have my wife and my kids and everybody in this community...we have to be more careful, it's a horrible situation,” Follman said.

Washington, DC - Feds Raises Key Rate

Washington, DC - Feds Raises Key Rate+ The Federal Reserve raised a key interest rate a quarter point to five percent, to the highest level in more than five years but signaled that it may pause to assess the impact of its string of rate hikes.

Ramapo, NY - Suspended Building Inspector To Resign

Ramapo, NY - Town Board is expected to accept the resignation of suspended Building Inspector Brian Brophy at its meeting tonight, Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence said.

Brophy, 57, of Valley Cottage was suspended indefinitely with pay Feb. 16, more than two weeks after he was injured in a car accident on the New York State Thruway. At the accident scene, state police reported finding marijuana and an envelope containing $6,400 in $100 bills in the town-owned sport utility vehicle Brophy was driving. Brophy, who ran the town's building, planning and zoning departments, has pleaded not guilty to three traffic infractions and the marijuana violation.

St. Lawrence said the board is then expected to authorize a job advertisement to fill Brophy's position. He said the board wanted Brophy, who has been employed by the town for 21 years, to retire by July 1.

Lakewood, NJ - Reward Offered In Case Of Woman Who Abducted

Lakewood, NJ - A group of religious advisers in Lakewood is offering a reward in the case of a woman from their close-knit Orthodox Jewish community who police say was abducted and sexually assaulted before being released earlier this week.

The Lakewood Vaad, a council of rabbis from the town, has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the woman's abduction and assault.

Madrid, Spain - Two Sentenced For Tunisia Bombing Of Oldest Synagogue

Madrid, Spain - A Spanish court sentenced two men to a total of 10 years in prison on for their part in a suicide bombing in Tunisia in 2002 which killed 21 people, 14 of them German tourists. The court sentenced Ahmed Rukhsar, a 41-year-old Pakistani living in Spain, and Enrique Cerda Ibanez, a 43-year-old Spaniard, to five years each for collaboration with a terrorist organization.

A member of the Islamic Army for the Liberation of Holy Places, a radical group linked to al Qaeda, drove a tanker truck filled with cooking gas to a synagogue before detonating the truck, court documents said. The blast on the Tunisian island of Djerba destroyed North Africa's oldest synagogue and also killed five Tunisians and two Frenchmen.

London, England - PM Tony Blair: I Am Proud to Be a Friend of the Jewish People

London, England - At a conference of European rabbis which is held every two years, and is also served to mark the return of Jews to the British Isles 350 years ago, Prime minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, spoke with the rabbinical delegates in his 10 Downing Street office, confessing pride in his friendship for the Jewish people.

The European chief rabbis thanked Blair for his support in matters of concern to the Jewish community, including in the fight against anti-Semitism, against the attempt to outlaw kosher slaughter in the UK, and in favor of expanded Jewish education. Blair said in response that he very much admires Jewish education and the moral life espoused by Judaism. He further said that Jewish life has within it the potential to contribute to the moral and family values of England and all of Europe.

New York, NY - NYPD & FDNY Go Wireless

New York, NY - Police and firefighters will try out speedy over-the-air Internet-style computer connections in a pilot project announced by Mayor Bloomberg.

The idea is to give police and firefighters in the field instant laptop and mobile computer access to building plans, criminal-record information, mug shots, fingerprints and other data crucial to their jobs, also safety inspectors and maintenance teams working for other city agencies - including the departments of Buildings, Consumer Affairs, Transportation and Environmental Protection - to have access to the network.

Two companies - Northrop Grumman and Motorola - will build competing test networks that cover lower Manhattan. Whichever one does the better job wins the chance to install the system citywide.
The pilot program will cost taxpayers $2.7 million and is to be up and running in six months.

Salem, MA - Teen Gets 90 Days For Swastika Vandalism

Salem, MA - A Lynn man pleaded guilty to civil rights violations and destruction of property for spray-painting swastikas around Salem Common.

Richard Card, 19, was sentenced to one year in jail, of which he will serve 90 days with 2 1/2 years' probation, for spraying graffiti on private homes, garages, a statue, and a monument on March 13, the Essex district attorney's office said.
Card also must write letters of apology to the city and his victims, pay the city $550, pay an amount still to be determined to his victims, complete high school or get a GED, and complete an educational program at Holocaust Center of the North Shore, said the DA's office.
Cases against codefendants Christopher Clarke, 19, of Lynn and a Salem juvenile are pending, according to authorities.

Brooklyn, NY - Landlord, Has 335 Outstanding Housing Violations

Brooklyn, NY - The feisty Brooklyn woman who stopped Monday's Rent Guidelines Board meeting by yelling she has no hot water in her apartment wasn't telling the half of it: Her building has 335 outstanding housing violations.

In Bedford-Stuyvesant at 546 Bainbridge St. that apartment dweller Cathy Allen, 58, isn't the only unhappy tenant.
The landlord, Abraham Sofer, has been cited for violations including a lack of hot water, and rampant rats and roaches, a foot of backed-up sewer water stagnating in the basement.

The city's Housing Preservation and Development Department has already done $31,000 in emergency repairs to the three-story building and may have to step in again, agency spokesman Neill Coleman said.
Tenant Cesar MacDonald, 44, said "The situation is very bad," who said he has had to boil pots of water to bathe his four young daughters since the hot water conked out last week.

Sofer did not return repeated calls for comment. Superintendent Joe Schwartz, reached on his cell phone, said he visits the building regularly and defended conditions there. "I fix everything in the building," said Schwartz. "This landlord is a very good landlord."

Monticello, NY +Overturned Vehicle+

Monticello, NY +Overturned Vehicle+ A motor vehicle accident with an auto that overturned in front of the Post Office, Hatzolah responding with multiple BLS members also ALS units responding.

Union City, NJ +Lincoln Tunnel Closure+

Union City, NJ +Lincoln Tunnel Closure+ a accident between a sanitation truck and a spunout overturned vehicle has the westbound of the I-495 Lincoln Tunnel Viaduct outbound at Kennedy Blvd closed, just open for buses only, inbound delays are over one hour, numerous PAPD, FD and ESU on the scene, avoid the Lincoln Tunnel.

Borough Park, Brooklyn - The Unusual Taste Of Fear

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY - For years, Orthodox Jews have come here to keep the temptations and immodesty of the modern world at bay.

Many families do not own televisions or attend movies, the children attend yeshivas instead of public schools, adolescent girls do not leave the house without making certain that their knees and elbows are covered, and at weddings and funerals alike, women and men sit separately to avoid physical contact, as required by religious law.
But in the last month, the world outside has intruded sharply on this carefully tended enclave. Three times in April, young girls there have been approached by a man flashing a police badge or business card who tried to lure them into his vehicle. One of the girls, a 10-year-old, climbed into the man's car and was molested by him.

That attack and the other encounters have left many girls frightened and have increased the level of vigilance among the police and community leaders to a high pitch. "I think because we're such a sheltered community, we feel invaded," said Helen Muller, a principal at the United Talmudic Academy in Borough Park. "We've tried to shelter them from outside influences," she added. "But this whole situation brings the street into the community."

And with no suspects yet in custody, Borough Park has battened the hatches even tighter.
"I think things have changed dramatically," said Simcha Felder, a city councilman who represents the area. "There are cops all over the place. Shopkeepers are fixing their security cameras and making sure they have tape. Parents are spending a lot more time talking to their children. It's scary to most people, and everyone is on edge."

Along 16th Avenue, mothers pushing strollers, spoke of keeping their children indoors at playtime, and increased patrols by the Shomrim, the community's volunteer security force.

Hatzolah Collides With Off-Duty NYPD Officer

Monroe, NY - A Hatzollah member rushing to Arden Hill Medical Center, ran a red light and collided with a Honda driven by an off-duty New York City cop yesterday afternoon as reported at that time on VOS IZ NEIAS.

The city cop, 42-year-old Mayra Liciaga, was turning left to get on Route 17 east at Exit 130. The Hatzolah member, driving an unmarked minivan but with flashing red lights on the dash and grill and EMT plates, went around traffic and through the red light at the intersection with Route 208, striking Liciaga's Accord on the passenger side and spinning it around, minor injuries were reported.
The Hatzolah member, Shloima Schvimmer, 36, was transporting the grandmother of a 4-year-old child to Arden Hill. The child, who was taken to the hospital for an allergic reaction, was in a separate ambulance.

State police have issued no tickets, but are determining whether Schvimmer should have been driving in an emergency manner.

Lakewood, NJ - Suspect In Abduction Not The Same Guy Terrorizing Women In Borough Park

Lakewood, NJ - Jacob Cohen, the owner of a pizza store in the shopping center where a 20-year-old female was abducted Sunday night, said he saw a green Jeep Cherokee in the parking lot behind the Trim Gym at 8:15 that night. He said the man appeared nervous. “He was definitely waiting for something," Cohen said. "I didn't think anything of it," until 11:30 when he heard someone was missing, that's when he called police with the description of the SUV.

But Cohen said the guy he saw Sunday didn't look exactly like the sketch police have released of a suspect with no hair and a goatee. “His hair was much longer,” Cohen said.

Police are now confident the Lakewood suspect is not the guy terrorizing women in the Jewish Orthodox community in Borough Park Brooklyn, NY. They said the suspects do not look alike. “The cases in New York, the victims were younger,” Capt. Robert Lawsen said.

Police said they've received several tips from the community and have two substantial leads that they believe could lead to an arrest.

Monticello, NY +Overturned Vehicle+

Sullivan County, Monticello, NY +Overturned Vehicle+ A motor vehicle accident on Route 17 with the auto overturned several times and landed on its roof with the aided trapped in the vehicle, multiple BLS members also ALS units responding, aided was taken by Mobilemedic to Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris.

U/D: 11:14
Aided Dwayne Brown, 38, of Chestnut Ridge, NY. was pronounced dead at the hospital, NY State Police Reconstruction Team is working the scene. Excessive speed is cited as the cause of the accident.

Queens, NY +Overturned Vehicle+

Queens, NY +Overturned Vehicle+ A motor vehicle accident with an overturned vehicle on the eastbound of the Belt Parkway at the J.F.K. Airport exit, NYPD ESU and Fire Department are on the scene, Hatzolah also responding.

U/D: 21:44
Hatzolah on the scene canceling all additional units, due to EMS being on the scene.

Greece - Rabbi's To Be Paid By Goverment

Greece - A Greek Jewish leader wants the government to pay rabbis’ salaries, as it does for Christian and Muslim clergy. “We believe that rabbis should be paid by the Greek government,” given that the “believers of the Jewish religion are also Greek taxpayers,” said Moisis Constantinis, president of the Central Jewish Board of Greece.
Constantinis said the Jewish community also should be allowed to build synagogues without the approval of Greek Orthodox Church leaders.

Monroe, NY +Motor Vehicle Accident+

Monroe, NY +Motor Vehicle Accident+ A motor vehicle accident on Route 208 at the entrance to eastbound of Route 17, with multiple aided on the scene with minor injuries, Kiryas Joel Ambulance Corp on the scene also Blooming Grove EMS on the scene. Heavy traffic delays in the area.

Clifton, NJ - Nine Ejected In Garden State Parkway MVA

Clifton, NJ - Nine people were ejected and four of them were seriously injured after they were thrown from a van that flipped over on the Garden State Parkway northbound near exit 153A the exit for Route 3 east, Cliton FD and NJ State Police are on the scene, with 3 Medivac's Monoc, Atlantic Air and Northstar, HAtzolah was also on the scene.

U/D:
Hatzolah transported by ground an 18-year-old to St. Joseph's Hospital.

Cleveland, OH - Man In U.S. Facing Deportation For Nazi Past Loses Lawsuit

Cleveland, OH - A jury awarded damages to a retired travel agent who claimed he helped a man facing deportation for his past at a Nazi death camp.

John Demjanjuk, who has appealed his deportation order, made a rare public appearance last week in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in a lawsuit filed in 2003 by Jerome Brentar.

The eight-person jury on Monday awarded Brentar $90,000-$18,000 from each of five defendants: Demjanjuk, 86; his wife, Vera, 80; son John Demjanjuk Jr.; former son-in-law Edward Nishnic and the Demjanjuk defense fund. Brentar had sought $2 million.

Defense lawyer Kenneth Boukis said Demjanjuk's defense fund hasn't existed for about 10 years and that much of the jury award likely is uncollectable. Boukis said the defendants hadn't decided whether to appeal.

Demjanjuk, who came to the U.S. in 1952 and worked for Ford Motor Co., lost his U.S. citizenship for a second time when a judge ruled in 2002 that documents from World War II prove he was a Nazi guard at various death or forced labor camps. Demjanjuk, who had been suspected of being a notoriously brutal guard known as Ivan the Terrible, faced a death sentence for crimes against humanity before the Israeli Supreme Court ordered him released in 1993 and allowed him to return to his home in the Cleveland suburb of Seven Hills, Ohio. When the Justice Department renewed its case, it no longer identified him as Ivan the Terrible, but as a Nazi guard.

Brentar, 83, argued he provided money and logistical support, such as arranging for Demjanjuk's defense team to travel to and from Europe and Israel. Brentar, who worked with the International Refugee Organization in Germany during World War II, testified that Demjanjuk assured him in private meetings dating back to the early 1980s that he would eventually be repaid for his help.

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck in Borough Park on 9th Avenue and 53rd Street, Hatzolah responding.

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on Kings Highway and Ocean Parkway, Hatzolah on the scene.

U/D: 15:48
H-Base reporting incident is minor, aided RMA

New York, NY - City Limiting Car Traffic In Central Park And Prospect Park

New York, NY - Moving to further reduce traffic in city parks, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced, that stretches of Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn would close to cars under a six month pilot program to begin June 5.

Under the plan, vehicles will no longer be able to use the East Drive of Central Park north of 72nd Street during weekday mornings or the West Drive in the afternoons. In Prospect Park, drivers will lose morning access to the West Drive, which runs roughly parallel to Prospect Park West.

New York, NY - Murders On The Rise, Gun Violence Soars

New York, NY - Murders have jumped nearly 5 percent so far this year in the Big Apple, fueled by a recent spike in gun violence.

With more than a third of the year completed, NYPD statistics show there have been 173 slayings in the five boroughs. That compared with 165 during the same period last year.

New York, NY - City Limiting Car Traffic In Central Park And Prospect Park

New York, NY - Moving to further reduce traffic in city parks, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced, that stretches of Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn would close to cars under a six-month pilot program to begin June 5.

Under the plan, vehicles will no longer be able to use the East Drive of Central Park north of 72nd Street during weekday mornings or the West Drive in the afternoons. In Prospect Park, drivers will lose morning access to the West Drive, which runs roughly parallel to Prospect Park West.

Israel - Rabbis Get Female-Free Flight

Israel - Two leading rabbis concluded an agreement with El Al, and bought all first class tickets, and asked the airliner to only post male stewards on the flight so they do not have to see women on their way to America, also to have it movie-free.  

The two rabbis are the Gerrer Rebbe and Rabbi Aharon Leib Steinman, 93, who will fly to visit American Jewish communities. 

The rabbis asked that the flight from Israel adhere to the strictest standards of modesty. Their aides agreed with El Al officials that they will not have to see women during flight.
They bought all first class tickets on the flight to make sure no businesswomen are on board.

It was also decided that no films will be screened during the flight. Moreover, the backs of first class seats will be covered with plastic so that the rabbis won't even have to see the television screens.
Responding to the report, El Al said: "We do not report on our costumers out of respect for their privacy."

New Web Site Teaches About Jewish Diseases

A new Web site was launched to raise awareness about genetic diseases that disproportionately afflict Ashkenazi Jews.

The site "jewishgeneticdiseases," includes information about diseases that are more prevalent among Jews of Eastern European descent, including Tay-Sachs, Canavan Disease and Gaucher Disease.

New York - D'Amato Is Hailing Spitzer As Next Governor At Dov Hikind Political Event

New York - Former Republican Sen. Al D'Amato all but endorsed the Democratic gubernatorial front-runner as the "next governor" at a crowded political event for state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, where elected officials on hand included Mayor Bloomberg, Sen. Charles Schumer and City Comptroller William Thompson, were there.

D'Amato, who now has a thriving lobbying practice, has for months been praising Eliot Spitzer, the state attorney general. D'Amato spoke, praising the job Spitzer has done as attorney general, "D'Amato said [Spitzer] 'will be the next governor,' " and he predicted Spitzer will be "a great governor."

Rockland County, NY - Smoking Survey Starts, High Tobacco Use Among Yiddish-Speaking Men

Rockland County, NY - In the next month, 1,000 Rockland residents will get telephone calls asking them questions to help determine how the county focuses its anti-smoking programs.

The Rockland Health Department is doing its annual survey of tobacco use and attitudes toward smoking. "It helps us see what the trends are," said Shelley Chanler, a public health educator. "It also evaluates the impact of the programs we have in the community."
The department has contracted with a company to call 1,000 Rockland homes. "The data are used in a combination of ways," said a New City public health researcher who will analyze the data for the Health Department. "It helps us evaluate what the results are of the efforts we've already made and tells us what we can do to improve."

Previous surveys also showed higher-than-average tobacco use among Yiddish-speaking men in Rockland.
That information led the Health Department to meet with Jewish community leaders to talk about smoking, they said. "We learned that many men start smoking when they go to Israel to study."
The department is working with Jewish community leaders to try to develop smoking-cessation programs for those residents.
This year's survey also will help the county gauge opinions about tobacco use.

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Road Work Starts On Route 105

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Workers are clearing trees and excavating a hillside next to Route 105 to prepare for the reconfiguration of a treacherous bend and intersection at Bakertown Road in Kiryas Joel.

Orange County and the village are collaborating to turn the Y-intersection into a T-intersection with a stop sign and better sightlines for drivers. Kiryas Joel is paying for a small piece of privately owned land at the curve and for the excavation and removal of the dirt, which will cost about $136,000, will likely cost about $500,000.

Once the excavation is done, the county will shift Route 105 to the cleared space and extend Bakertown Road by about 100 feet to meet the new roadway.
The village plans to build a commuter park-and-ride lot on the vacated section of Route 105 after the road work is completed.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn +Bicyclist Struck+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn +Bicyclist Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a child that was on a bicycle that was struck in front of 170 Clymer Street, Hatzolah responding to the scene.

Virginia - Shooting At Police Station

Fairfax County, Chantilly, Virginia - Several people, including police officers, are taken to the hospital after a shooting outside a police station.

U/D: 21:29
One of the three police officers who were shot outside the police station, detective Vickey Armel has died, the perp was shot and killed.

Hard Lox Café vs Hard Rock Café

Asheville, NC - Congregation Bais HaTephila, which has held a Jewish food festival for the past three years, has agreed to change the name from Hard Lox Café to HardLox: Asheville’s Jewish Food and Heritage Festival. The change was made in response to a cease and desist order from Hard Rock Café.

“The entire situation was handled very amicably between Congregation Bais HaTephila and Hard Rock Café,” a spokesperson said. “I think the new title is more appropriate because this really is Asheville’s festival. It works out well for us.”

Ramapo, NY - Developer Pleads Not Guilty

Ramapo, NY - The developer for Mosdos Chofetz Chaim pleaded not guilty in Ramapo Justice Court on charges of running a preschool out of a trailer on the construction site of a yeshiva on Grandview Avenue. The attorney Steve Barry, entered the plea on behalf of his client, who was not present for his arraignment before Judge Sam Colman.
The town cited the developer for operating without a site plan and a certificate of occupancy. The town's zoning board rejected the developer's appeal last week.

Deputy Town Attorney Meryl Troodler, who is prosecuting the case, said if the developer could face a $5,000 fine on each of the six counts if found guilty.

Levittown, NY - Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found On Fence

Levittown, NY - Nassau police are investigating a case of anti-Semitic graffiti spray-painted on a fence in Levittown.

Detectives from Nassau's Eighth Precinct responded Saturday to Chimney Lane, where somebody vandalized the rear property fences with spray paint. Police said the graffiti included anti-Semitic references.

No one had been arrested as of yesterday afternoon, officials said. Police said they are still investigating.

Berlin - Germany Updates Official List Of Jews Killed In Holocaust

Berlin - Germany today published a new list of names of all the known German Jews murdered in the Holocaust in the Second World War as an update to a list with only victims from former West Germany published 20 years ago.

The four-volume book, containing 150,000 names in alphabetical order along with vital data and dates of detention, now includes the names of Jews who had lived in eastern Germany and parts of modern-day Poland which were controlled by Germany before the Second World War.
The new memorial register was compiled by Germany's Federal Archives and corrects the inevitable errors in the first edition compiled in 1986. The new list contains a complete list of the mass "deportations" from pre-war Germany, Austria and three parts of the modern Czech Republic -- the Sudetenland, Bohemia and Moravia.

Pesach Tikva, Israel - Teens Spray Swastikas On School Arrested

Pesach Tikva, Israel - Swastikas were spayed on the walls of a school, only five days after a similar incident at a synagogue in the city. Four teenagers were arrested and admitted to having carried out the defacement.

The 15-year-old teenagers told police, that the reason for their deeds is because they had developed an enmity towards the head of the school, after a number of disputes when they attended the school.

New York, NY - City Hall To Get Million Dollar Make Over

New York, NY - City Hall is getting a make over for more than $16 million.

It's said to include $13 million for a new electrical system that will include central air conditioning for the building, and nearly $1 million will go towards fixing the limestone steps leading up to city hall's front doors.

All of the expenses are part of the mayor's $56.1 billion fiscal budget announced last week.

Israel - Palestinian's Hunt Jewish Flock Of Goats

Israel - A gang of Palestinian Arabs managed to steal a flock of 150 goats from the Samarian Jewish community of Tapuach.

Four Palestinian's infiltrated Tapuach during the night, made off with local shepherd Avraham Herzlich's flock, and moved the animals some 5-10 kilometers back into territory under full Palestinian Authority control. From there it is believed the goats were loaded onto trucks and shipped to different areas.

Herzlich's neighbors tried in vain to recover his flock by setting up roadblocks outside Arab towns in the area.

Israel - Braslav Man Suspected Of Murder

Israel - A wandering glance and a curse word – these are apparently the reasons that led to the murder of Samuel Daslone, 31, on Saturday in Mazkeret Batya. The suspect, a 36-year-old Braslav man with a criminal record, was apparently enraged after Daslone glanced at him and called him later a "stinking religious man" - and proceeded to stab him to death.

Later that night Daslone was rushed in critical condition to Kaplan Hospital in Pesach Tikva, where he died of his wounds despite doctors' efforts.

Police have already arrested two men suspected in being involved in the case - Aviad Koresh and Gideon Bana - both of whom were brought to court to extend their remand. Later police managed to get their hands on the murder suspect who said he was involved in the incident and even directed the investigators to the crime scene.

During the investigation police officers were shocked to discover that the fatal incident began with a wandering glance by the victim toward the murder suspect.

Chicago - New Synagogue's Torah Has Long History

Chicago - Bewigged Orthodox Jewish women, and black-hatted Orthodox men paraded down Touhy Avenue, and their shared jubilation was over something old and traditional. They danced to klezmer music, sang and shouted mazel tov as they surrounded a century-old Sefer Torah from Belarus that has been in one family for seven generations.

Hundreds took to the street to carry the holy scroll from Rabbi Zev Cohen's house to a new, expanded synagogue at 3050 W. Touhy: Congregation Adas Yeshurun Anshe Kanesses Israel.

One of the world's most prominent Orthodox rabbis, Mattisyahu Salomon, traveled from New Jersey's so-called Harvard of higher Jewish scholarship -- Beth Medrash Govoha -- to help move the Torah to a 131-year-old Holy Ark inside the synagogue. The Holy Ark, dates to an 1875 Maxwell Street congregation.

The Sefer Torah, was carried under a wedding canopy, or chuppah.

The Torah once belonged to Cohen's great-great-grandfather. His great-grandfather, Joseph Mael, carried it with him on the boat that ferried him to the United States. "This is a double day," Rabbi Cohen said. "It's a double day because we are celebrating the new synagogue, and we have a synagogue that's going nonstop in Chicago for some 135 years."

Pittsfield, MA +Hate Crime+

Pittsfield, MA - Police are investigating the discovery of three swastikas scrawled on an office building in Pittsfield.
The swastikas drawn in black magic marker were found close to a plaque denoting the offices of a Jewish lawyer. Attorney Andrew Hochberg says that while he's not sure the hate message was aimed at him, the act of vandalism is "totally unacceptable."

Investigation is ongoing, no arrests have been made in either incident.

Tehran, Iran - +Strong Explosion+

Tehran, Iran - +Strong Explosion+ Iran's offical reports that a strong explosion injured several people near the governor's office in Kermanshah province.

Abassan, Gaza Strip - Clashes Between Fatah And Hamas Gunmen

Abassan, Gaza Strip - Rival gunmen from Hamas and Fatah fought with assault rifles and missiles, killing three militants in the bloodiest internal fighting since Hamas came to power six weeks ago.

The fighting was the latest sign the two sides could be sliding toward large-scale clashes.

Each group has been training its gunmen for possible confrontation, and Hamas recently outbid Fatah in buying a black market shipment of 100,000 bullets.

New York - Eliot Spitzer, Snub or oversight?

New York - Eliot Spitzer might not have realized what he was stepping into when he paid a condolence visit April 30 in Brooklyn to Zalmen Teitelbaum, son of Moses, the late grand rebbe of the Satmar Hasidim. The problem was that he failed to call also on Aron Teitelbaum, Zalmen’s older brother and rival for the Satmar throne.

The next day, New York City tabloids speculated about whether the attorney general and would-be governor had snubbed Aron.
After all, politicians such as Gov. George Pataki and Sen. Hillary Clinton had all taken pains to see both brothers and avoid alienating one faction within the bitterly divided Satmar community.
Spitzer representatives said it was a harmless oversight: They thought Aron was at home in Kiryas Joel, rather than in Williamsburg, when Spitzer met with Zalmen.
They were said to be trying to set up a separate meeting with Aron.

But some Aron supporters concluded that Spitzer’s chief of staff, Richard Baum, who supported Kiryas Joel’s anti-Aron dissidents a decade ago as Democratic minority leader of the Orange County Legislature, had steered his boss to Zalmen alone. Spitzer’s office did not return a call for comment.

Lakewood, NJ +Abduction Of Girl+

Lakewood, NJ +Abduction Of Girl+ Last night at about 20:30 hours a 19-year-old girl from Lakewood NJ has been abducted, bound, gagged and taken away from Trim Gym at Route 9 near the Shop Rite supermarket parking lot, by a white man in a dark green Jeep, PD reporting that the girl has now been located safely, after being dropped off this morning about 5:00 at the same spot near her parked car, large investigation ongoing.

U/D:
NYPD is assisting Lakewood, NJ PD in ascertaining if the abducter is the same person who is sought in the recent abduction attempts in Boro Park. They are looking for a white man, 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-8 with a shaved head.

U/D: 05/09/06 14:13
Lakewood Police announced that "We (LPD) have several leads on the case and are optimistic that an arrest will be made".

Jerusalem, Israel - Kosher Inspector Jailed For Importing Non-Kosher Meat

Jerusalem, Israel - A Jerusalem Court sentenced for six months in jail a kosher inspector convicted of assisting meat importers to smuggle and import non-kosher meat into Israel.

At the time of committing the offense Aharon Rabinowitz, 56, was a kosher slaughterhouse inspector, and was in charge over the inspection of imported kosher meat. The court convicted him of stealing kosher certificates and selling them to meat importers for $10,000, thus allowing them to bring into Israel non-kosher meat and selling it as kosher meat.
The judge sentenced Rabinowitz to six months in prison, to be converted to public service and imposed a NIS 30,000 fine.

Queens, NY +MVA Between Plane and Vehicle+

Queens, NY +MVA Between Plane and Vehicle+ An unusual accident at Laguardia Airport in Queens, PAPD on the scene requesting EMS to respond to Hanger #3 for an accident between an airplane and a truck.

Brooklyn, NY +B.Q.E. W/B Traffic Alert+

Brooklyn, NY +B.Q.E. W/B Traffic Alert+ A motor vehicle accident with multiple vehicles involved with a fuel spill on the westbound of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway at Cadman Plaza has the right and center lanes blocked, services on the scene, heavy delays to Tillary Street.

New York - Influential People In Politics

Number One - Michael Bloomberg (Mayor)

Number Two - Patricia Harris (First deputy mayor)

Number Three - Eliot Spitzer (NY Attorney general)

Number Four - Isac Weinberger (Political gossip)

No one does more to shape the rumor of the day—and, hence, drive the city’s political conversation—than does Weinberger, a gruff, rotund Hasidic Jew who works for the city. Weinberger spends his days on the phone shaking down people for tips—who’s thinking of dropping out of what race, what a candidate’s internal polls are showing—and promptly passing them on to the next caller (without the benefit, it should be said, of any fact-checking, only increasing his power).

New York, NY - Diplomat Stopped For Drunk Driving

New York, NY - A Moroccan diplomat, 37-year-old Abdelmajid Amrani Nadjar, was weaving through heavy Manhattan traffic and was briefly detained and issued four summonses, including one summons for driving drunk.

Police said Nadjar, behind the wheel of a silver Honda Civic with diplomatic plates, was weaving in and out of First Avenue traffic at East 46th Street without signaling when he was stopped by a patrol car and given a field sobriety test, which he failed.

Nadjar, a deputy secretary to the United Nations Mission to Morocco, was briefly taken to the 17th Precinct stationhouse, where police found that his immunity protects him from arrest. Still, diplomats are subject to traffic tickets.

Nadjar was given three: for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and failing to use lane-change signals, officials said.

Brooklyn, NY +MVA With Injuries+

Brooklyn, NY +MVA With Injuries+ A hit-and-run motor vehicle accident on Ditmas Avenue between East 8th Street and East 9th Street with multiple aided/pedestrians injured on the scene, Hatzolah responding.

U/D: 21:08
Hatzolah on the scene requesting two ambulances to respond, and Medics to respond to the scene, for a total of five aided.

U/D: 21:39
PD on the scene are looking for two M/H that fled the scene of the accident.

New Square, NY Multiple Dwelling Fire+

Rockland County, New Square, NY Multiple Dwelling Fire+ A working fire in New square in an multiple dwelling at 137 Clinton Street, mutual aid requested to the scene.

Monroe, NY - Smith’s Clove Park Photo ID Required

Monroe, NY - The Monroe Joint Parks Recreation Commission will implement a photo ID card system for those wishing to use Smith’s Clove Park facilities, beginning June 1.

The aim of the system is to reduce incidents of vandalism and overcrowding of park facilities, especially during peak season. “This has been in discussion for about two years,” Park Commission Chairman Tony Cardone said. “And we now have in place the proper computer equipment and security personnel to make it the success the residents deserve.”

Photo ID’s will be distributed free to residents, 14 and over, of the unincorporated Town of Monroe and the Village of Monroe. Those 13 and under will need to be accompanied by a card-carrying adult.

Proper identification and proof of residency will be required in order to receive the card, and residents will have the option of having their cards processed during the upcoming YAC registrations.

Monsey, NY - Man Wants Sign Reinstalled

Monsey, NY - For a few months now, Romanowski said, he's been trying to get the town of Ramapo to reinstall a no-left-turn sign on Maple Avenue. "When the sidewalks were put in," he said, "that sign came down and was never put back up."
The sign is to keep westbound traffic on Maple Avenue from making a left turn into the parking lot of Congregation Vyoal Moshe D'Satmer.

Instead, traffic destined for the synagogue is to turn left onto Monsey Boulevard and into another entrance to the lot.

The intent is to prevent traffic backups on the busier Maple Avenue, said Paul Gdanski, an engineer with the town's Public Works Department.

Romanowski, who lives nearby on Maple Avenue, said he went back and forth between the town Building Department, the Public Works Department and Highway Department in his attempt to get the sign returned to its rightful place, but with no success.

Meron, Israel - Lag Baomer Celebration To Attract Crowd Of 800,000 People

Meron, Israel - Police expect some 800,000 people to attend the celebration of Rabbi Shimeon Bar Yohai, which will take place at his grave on Mount Meron next Monday, and some 5,000 police officers will secure the annual event.

As of Sunday, new traffic regulations will be in place around the settlement of Meron near the Rabbi Bar Yohai's grave and a headquarters will be setup to help organizers coordinate the festivities.

During Lag Baomer, Israelis light bonfires symbolizing the fires lit by 2nd century Jewish rebels, who marked their temporary defeat of the Romans.

New York, NY - Countdown Walking Traffic Lights

New York, NY - City Councilman John Liu, head of the Council's Transportation Committee, thinks the city should install countdown walking signs at traffic lights, the ones that tell you how much time there is until the light changes to red. But the counter argument would be that people underestimate the time it takes to walk across the street.

The city will be testing countdown timers at some intersections. And early this year, Transpiration Alternatives had suggestions for the Department of Transportation to reduce pedestrian fatalities.

Crown Heights, Brooklyn +MVA+

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident in front of 770 Eastern Parkway, Hatzolah responding.

Monsey, NY - Congregation Issued Notice Of Violation

Monsey, NY - Town issued for Congregation Vyoal Moshe D'Satmer a notice of violation for operating without a certificate of occupancy. The temporary certificate they have now has expired on April 20.

"There are no substantial structural issues," said Klein, the town attorney. "The work was substantially completed and the Building Department issued a temporary certificate of occupancy pending the completion of some remaining site work."

Ramapo, NY - Yeshiva Developer Back In Court

Ramapo, NY - The developer of a yeshiva with adult student housing will return to town court tomorrow to face charges of running a preschool out of a trailer on the construction site.
The Town Attorney's Office intends to move ahead with its prosecution of Mosdos Chofetz Chaim, after the Zoning Board of Appeals decided Thursday night not to hear an appeal.

While the zoning board rejected Mosdos Chofetz Chaim's request to adjourn the matter, it did permit the congregation to re-apply for a hearing.

Tuxedo, NY +NYS Thruway All Lanes Blocked+

Tuxedo, NY +NYS Thruway All Lanes Blocked+ A fully involved car fire on the northbound of the New York State Thruway at M/M 39.4 have FD and NY State Police blocking all lanes, with just the shoulder squeezing by.

New York, NY Man Dies After Assault

Washington Heights, NY - An 81-year-old man who was assaulted in his own building during a robbery died from his injuries on Friday.

The man Jacob Gerstle, was attacked on Wednesday just after returning home from a synagogue to his Washington Heights apartment building. A much larger man snuck up behind him, put something over his face and forced him into his apartment, once inside, the robber assaulted the 81-year-old and stole his wallet and cell phone.
The victim was said to be 5 feet 2 inches tall. Police described his attacker as a black man, 20 to 30 years old and 180 to 200 pounds.
The suspect was wearing a camouflage jacket and jeans during the incident. A surveillance camera captured the attacker following the victim into the building and onto the elevator, and it then shows him leaving the building.

Police said a $12,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.

Crown Heights, Brooklyn - Four Murders In 4 Weeks All Of Them On President Street

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY - During a deadly four-week stretch, four men were slain on a 10-block stretch on President St. in Crown Heights - spreading fear in a neighborhood already plagued by a substantial rise in homicides.

The stretch falls within the NYPD's 71st Precinct, where the number of murders more than doubled last year compared with 2004.
"We don't see any connections among the cases," said Police Department Deputy Inspector Frank Vega, commanding officer of the 71st Precinct, as he tried to allay residents' fears.

In the wake of the last year's spike in murders, a dozen cops were added to the precinct in January. But police said they still need help from the residents of President St.
"We need more eyes on the street," Vega said, noting that "no active neighborhood watch group" operates on the block where the most recent killings happened.

Eight people have been killed in the 71st Precinct this year, up from five during the same period in 2005, and it's the killings that have people talking.

London, England - U.K. Politician Quits Over Racist Remark

London, England, UK - Chris Davies, MEP for Northwest England, was forced to resign his leadership post as head of the Liberal Democratic group to the European Parliament by party leader, over alleged offensive remarks to a Jewish constituent.

Davies, wrote in an e-mail message that Jews, despite experiencing the Holocaust, had "themselves become oppressors."
When the constituent protested, Davies said in his reply, "Sounds like racism to me. I hope you enjoying wallowing in your own filth."

In a statement, Davies said: "I apologize for the language and tone of my e-mail, which was unacceptable and without justification. I should never have used the words I did in the e-mail."
The party has distanced itself from Davies' remarks, he will stay an MEP, but his leadership post will be be taken over.