Coxsackie, NY - Woman Rescued Late Erav Yom Tov

Coxsackie, NY - After crying out for help for nearly a day, Shoshana Levine, 45, of Brooklyn, was found Thursday afternoon on a cliff near the New York State Thruway.
She entered the woods from the New York State Thruway late Wednesday afternoon after being dropped off by a vehicle, according to state police.
Levine had slipped on loose rocks in the densely wooded area and fell about 75 feet from a rock ledge, ending up on a ridge below, police said.

She was removed from the ridge around 2 p.m. Erav Yom Tov and airlifted to Albany Medical Center, where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Canada +Bomb Plot Foiled+

Canada +Bomb Plot Foiled+ Canadian police have arrested 17 suspects on terror chages, and foiled with that a major al Qaeda-inspired bomb plot against targets in and around Toronto. FBI said that suspects may have had 'limited contact' with a Georgia men.

Brooklyn, NY +Woman Arrested+

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Woman Arrested+ A woman was arrested Nostrand Avenue between Avenue's "L" and "M", after an argument with a female officer about a ticket for double parking which she refused to accept, the officer refused to give her badge number after treating the woman very roughly. A large upset crowd gathered outside on the streets, Flatbush Shomrim working the scene and to release the woman.

U/D: 17:54
Flatbush Shomrim and Chaverim calmed the crowd and was able to get the woman released in time for Yom Tov, with the help from the bosses of the 70th Pct who handled the situation very nice.

Stafford, NJ - Four Die In Plane Crash

Stafford, NJ - Four people, including a Manalapan couple, were killed Wednesday morning when their plane crashed near Route 72, leaving authorities with a mystery as to what caused the four-seat Piper Dakota to break up in midair and plummet into the woods.

The crash victims were identified as two married couples Ronald Ziv, 53, and Rachel Ziv, 40, of the Basking Ridge section of Bernards, Somerset County; and David Nimrod, 48, and Karen Nimrod, who was about 50, of Sutton Drive in Manalapan.

The Piper Dakota PA-28-236, was owned by Aviron Aviation LLC of North Plainfield. And Ron Ziv was the president of Aviron, and the company's telephone number is the same as his business, Priv-Tov Food Broker. Priv-Tov has offices on Route 22 in North Plainfield and in Hod Hasharon, Israel, according to the company's Internet page.

The 10:40 a.m. crash shattered the morning calm on the streets of Beach Haven West, pieces of the plane showered homes in the neighborhood, alarming residents who were among the first to call for aid. The plane crashed into a densely wooded area between Route 72 and Bay Avenue, about 100 to 150 yards from the highway, police said. It did not start a fire.
"It came down like a bullet," Clifton resident Tom Tonner, 70, said as he stood outside his summer home on Dorothy Drive. "Things were falling out of the sky."

Authorities announced the deaths of three of the occupants shortly after the crash, then found the fourth body later in the afternoon. A temporary road was being built to reach the wooded area where the bulk of the plane and the bodies were.

Sullivan County, NY - Protest Inside Government Center

Sullivan County, NY - More than 60 people jammed the waiting room of the Sullivan County Legislature to protest the more then $1.1 million in cuts the county plans to make to off-set the funding loss, lawmakers say, is a result of not getting the state OK to hike the sales tax.

Most who attending are volunteers for Cornell Cooperative Extension, which stands to lose $240,000 as a result of the cuts.

Manhattan, NY +G.W. Bridge Closure+

Manhattan, NY +G.W. Bridge Closure+ All lanes west bound of the George Washington Bridge NJ bound upper level is closed, due to multiple motor vehicle accidents, passenger vehicles could use the lower level, but major delays approaching the bridge.

Manhattan, NY +G.W. Bridge Closure+

All lanes west bound of the George Washington Bridge NJ bound upper level are closed, dalso major delays approaching the bridge.

For more go to http://vosizneias.blogspot.com

Lyndhurst, NJ - Swastikas Painted On Graves

Lyndhurst, NJ - Vandals defaced several headstones over in the Jewish section of the Hillside Cemetery, spray-painting them with swastikas and, in one case, profanity. The vandalism was reported by a mourner visiting the cemetery.

A grounds crew was at the site that morning, and it was unclear whether the damage was overlooked or occurred after the crew left, police Capt. John Valente said.
Family members were notified by the cemetery, and the headstones were being cleaned.

Doerun, GA +Military Helicopter Crash+

Doerun, GA +Military Helicopter Crash+ A military helicopter with five people on board from the Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, enroute to Fort Rucker, AL has crashed when it struck a TV tower. Four soldiers have died and one survived.

Samaria, Israel - Head of Yitzhar Yeshiva Released

Samaria, Israel - The head rabbi of the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Yitzhar, was freed by Netanya Magistrate's Court.

The rabbi was released under condition that he does not approach the institution or any of its students for one week. He was arrested after approximately 30 students from his yeshiva hurled rocks at police who came to carry out a routine security check.

Mays Landing, NJ - Man Pleads Guilty To Defacing Synagogue

Mays Landing, NJ - A 19-year-old man will probably have to pay more than $1,000 and serve several hundred hours of community service after pleading guilty to defacing Hammonton's synagogue with swastikas last October.

Collings Lake resident Eddie Baker, 19, pleaded guilty before Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Michael A. Donio. He will be sentenced July 28. Baker was charged with vandalism and a bias crime after the Oct. 25 and 27 incidents.

Baker, who is unemployed, said in court that he was alone and knew that a swastika would be hurtful to a synagogue. But when questioned by Donio, he repeatedly said he didn't know why he defaced the synagogue or what he was thinking at the time.

Wheaton, MD +Pedestrian 14-Year-Old Struck+

Wheaton, MD +Pedestrian Struck+ Police in Montgomery County, Md., were on the scene of a 14-year-old boy is in critical condition after a vehicle hit him Wednesday afternoon.

The boy a student at the Yeshiva Greater Washington Boys School, was hit near the school in the 1200 block of Arcola Avenue in Wheaton.
Police said the 14-year-old was struck by a Jeep traveling eastbound on Arcola and is in critical condition.Investigators said the boy was not in the crosswalk.

Hollywood, FL - Judge Will Rule In Favor Of Synagogue

Hollywood, FL - The city may have to erase an entire section of its zoning laws after a federal judge in Miami said that she plans to rule on behalf of an Orthodox Jewish synagogue that claims the laws are unconstitutional and too vague.

U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard called attorneys representing the city and the Hollywood Community Synagogue to tell them she plans to rule in the synagogue's favor and will put it in writing within the next couple of weeks, lawyers on both sides said.

The zoning codes are at the heart of a pending discrimination lawsuit filed by the Hollywood Synagogue and the U.S. Department of Justice claiming city officials violated the religious group's constitutional rights by denying it an exception in 2003 to operate within a residential neighborhood.

Harris, NY - Doctors To Exit Hospital Over Safety Breaches

Harris, NY - Accusing Sullivan County's only hospital of breaches in safety and patient care, a group of 62 doctors planned to stop practicing at Catskill Regional Medical Center. "There's no doubt about it we submitted our resignations," said Dr. Hal Teitelbaum, managing partner of Crystal Run Health Care.

The group comprises about one-quarter of the doctors who admit patients to the hospital.

The doctors, part of the Crystal Run health group, say the hospital has refused to follow physician directives for diagnostic care and medications, discharged emergency room patients too soon, used obsolete equipment, followed inadequate anesthesia practices, had sloppy patient charting and failed to quickly read X-rays and CT scans, according to Steven Clark, spokesman for Crystal Run.

Hospital chief executive Arthur Breen told county lawmakers last week the hospital would keep operating, Eggleton said. She said the not-for-profit facility is required by law to take in everyone, regardless of their insurance coverage.

U/D: 11:48
The doctors exit the hospital citing safety breaches and stopped practicing at the Catskill Regional Hospital.

Brooklyn, NY +Battery Tunnel Closed+

Brooklyn, NY +Battery Tunnel Closed+ Inbound of the Battery Tunnel is closed due to a disabled vehicle inside the tube, TBTA tow enroute.

Manhattan, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Manhattan, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on the east side of Manhattan 7th Pct area in front of 570 Grand Street, Hatzolah on the scene requesting back up.

Ashdod, Israrl - Commission To Review Police Activities Surrounding Body Snatching

Ashdod, Israel - Police Insp.-Gen. Moshe Karadi appointed an investigative commission to examine police activities surrounding the riots and body snatching that took place.

Karadi instructed the commission to look at the 'big picture' of circumstances leading to the theft of the body, including checking standing orders and practices. He told them to consider aspects of the incident relating to the management of the investigation before and after charedim apparently from Jerusalem, stole the baby's body in order to prevent a post-mortem examination.

Karadi also instructed the commission to consider the police response to the violent protests at the cemetery and the command decisions made throughout the incident.
The commission's findings and recommendations are to be submitted to the police commander by June 15.

Brooklyn, NY - Yeshiva Seeks Route Around Rent Stabilization

Brooklyn, NY - A yeshiva in Borough Park section of Brooklyn, is using a legal loophole to attempt to empty a rent stabilized building.

Yeshiva Nesivos Chaim, which bought the building at 221 Avenue F in 2004 for $2.1 million, is banking on a provision allowing charitable non-profits to evict tenants as long as the apartments will be used for nonresidential, charitable purposes.
Tenants say the Yeshiva has forced them to endure hazardous conditions. Indeed, the building has been cited for 332 housing code violations since the Yeshiva purchased it, and contractors hired by the city have made $11,475 in emergency repairs.

The Yeshiva currently conducts classes in a first floor apartment and has more classrooms and a synagogue in the basement. Tenants and several Yeshiva students said that as apartments become vacant they are not being re-rented but are instead used as student housing.

Rabbi Moshe Goldstein, leader of the Brooklyn Yeshiva, did not respond to many phone messages, but a group of fifteen tenants visited Goldstein's house, carrying placards and pushing their children in strollers. Goldstein did not appear to be home but the Yeshiva agreed to meet with the tenants this week.

Boca Raton, FL - Police Say, Graffiti On Judaica Store Wasn't Motivated By Anti-Semitism

Moca Raton, FL - The person accused of drawing swastikas and writing an anti-Jewish statement on the windows of a West Boca Raton Judaica store last month, may not have been motivated by anti-Semitism, according to investigators.
A second suspect - a teen facing charges of defacing a car and a bathroom at Town Center at Boca Raton mall with anti-Semitic words -- told Boca Raton police that Connor T. Ranieri, 18, of Deerfield Beach -- wanted for marking up the windows of the Yiddishkeit store at U.S. 441 and Glades Road -- "always does things to look cool and seek attention from his friends," a police report said.

Brussels, Belgium - European Parliamentarians Seek EU Travel Ban On Iranian President

Brussels, Belgium - A group of European Parliament members is seeking an indefinite EU travel ban on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the light of his calls for Israel's destruction and his questioning of the Holocaust.
A group of 75 deputies from all major political groups in the EU assembly have signed a petition sent to Austria, which holds the EU's rotating presidency.

A travel ban can only be declared by individual EU member states, which is unlikely to happen given the fact that world powers, including Britain, France and Germany, are debating how to resolve the Iran nuclear crisis.

Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ +Route 17 Traffic Alert+

Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ +Route 17 Traffic Alert+ A motor vehicle accident with a car that was on the southbound lanes of Routh 17 near Ridgewood and went over the railing to the northbound side and facing the wrong direction.

Brooklyn, NY +Armed Robbery+

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Armed Robbery+ PD and Flatbush/Borough Park Shomrim are looking for a male black with a gun on Avenue "F" and East 2nd Street, that just robbed a teenager at gun point and took his wallet.

Freehold, NJ - Dwek Owes Banks And Creditors $298 Million

Freehold, NJ - Banks and other creditors claim embattled real estate investor Solomon Dwek owes them a collective $298.1 million. The list are 13 banks and 41 individual, includes PNC, who claims that they are owed $149.6 million. The individual claimants, which run from a lawn care company demanding $5,949 to Dwek's uncle, Joseph Dwek, who wants $60 million, total $148.5 million.

Dwek was charged in federal criminal court earlier this month with attempting to defraud PNC Bank of $50 million. The bank said Dwek bounced a $25 million check April 24, which ultimately left the depository with a $20 million shortfall. The FBI claims Dwek tried to deposit another $25 million, but it was rejected by the bank.

Dover Township, NJ - Swastikas Spray-Painted On Vehicles

Dover Township, NJ - A car, a truck, a wooden bridge and a driveway were spray-painted with vulgar sayings and swastikas.

The four incidents of criminal mischief happened on Lester Road in the township's Brookside section. Residents of the area reported seeing a late model Honda with a loud muffler speeding away from the neighborhood.

Brooklyn, NY - Man Accused Of Stealing Flag From Docked USS Shreveport

A Brooklyn man was caught over the weekend trying to steal an American flag from a U.S. Navy ship docked at the former home port for Fleet Week. Police said Roman Skrynyk, 31, of Hooper Street in Brooklyn, NY, was observed walking off the USS Shreveport at about with a neatly folded flag under his arm.

Such flags are given to VIP's who they visit the ship, such as widows of 9/11 victims or war veterans. A security officer hired for Fleet Week told cops that Skrynyk probably took the flag from one of the cabins when he toured the Shreveport.

When cops stopped Skrynyk on Front St. and he claimed that "he brought the flag in with him." But the guard checked with the ship, and one of the officers confirmed that a flag had gone missing.

Skrynyk was arrested and charged with one count each of criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny.

Iowa - University Hospitals Employee Files Lawsuit

Iowa - University Hospitals nursing assistant has filed a religious discrimination lawsuit claiming she has been forced to work during the Jewish Shabbas.
Thresa M. Parker filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Davenport. According to the lawsuit, Parker first requested in May 2005 that her schedule be changed so she wouldn't have to work during the Shabbas. The request was granted, but Parker was again scheduled to work during the Shabbas.

Parker's lawyer, said the Iowa Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity commissions have since issued Parker a "right to sue" letter. She is seeking unspecified damages.

University Hospitals spokesman Tom Moore declined comment saying it's against hospital policy to comment on pending litigation.

Reuters Employee Fired For Death Threat On Blogger

A Reuters employee has been suspended after sending a death threat to an American blogger. The message, sent from a Reuters internet account, read: “I look forward to the day when you pigs get your throats cut.”

It was sent to the owner of a weblog, a popular site which often backs Israel and highlights jihadist terrorist activities.

In the threat, the Reuters staff member, who has not been named, left his email address as “zionistpig” at hotmail.com.

The owner of the weblog, did an IP lookup on the sender which reveald that he/she was using an account at none other than Reuters News.
After bringing the threat to the attention of Reuters, he was told by the news organization’s Global Head of Communications, Ed Williams: “I can confirm that an employee has been suspended pending further investigation. The individual was not an employee of Reuters’ news division.”

Samaria, Israel - Police Detain Rabbi And Search For Yeshiva Students For An Attack On Policemen

Samaria, Israel - Police officers are conducting searches throughout the Samaria town of Yitzhar, in an effort to identify and arrest youths involved in a rock-throwing attack on policemen this evening, and also for damaging a police patrol car.

An unidentified rabbi from the Yitzhar yeshiva has been detained by police for questioning in the incident.

London - Shock Over Jewish Cemetery Desecration

London - Fourteen gravestones at the Brady Street cemetery in Whitechapel were knocked over, and police are now trying to track down two individuals who were seen running from the scene.

The graveyard, where more than 10,000 Jews are buried, is located in an area of London which was vastly populated by Jews during the 1900s. Although Jewish people have on the whole since moved from the area, known as the East End of London, the cemetery is still overseen by the United Synagogue, the mainstream religious organization in the UK.

The US will replace any broken pieces of gravestone and any that were left intact would be placed at the side of the grave.

The local police Chief Inspector Nick Hancock, said the investigation into the attack would be thorough. "I and the Metropolitan Police Service take any attack on any religious premises, particularly cemeteries as very serious as it threatens the confidence of the community in their way of life," he stressed. "I want to commit the best possible response to investigating and dealing with this."

Israel - Land of Milk and Honey

Israel - Israeli cows are the Number One milk producers in the world. According to the CBS report, last year Israeli dairies produced some 1,221 million liters of the white liquid for public consumption, providing 185 liters per person per year.

Cow’s milk comprised the bulk of production, at 94% of the total volume. Sheep produced 3.6%, with goat’s milk at the lowest percentage of volume, 2.3%.

Israeli honey also continues to flow, with an output of some 3,200 tons of the liquid last year. Israelis consumed approximately half a kilo - a little over one pound - of honey per person over the year.

Israel gets 10,000 liters a year out of the average cow. Dutch cows, it turns out, are the second largest producers of milk at 8,193 liters, surpassing even cows in the United States, which came in a close third at 8,162. The most recent figures for worldwide milk production are from the year 2003, showing an average of 6,455 liters for cows in the European Union.

New York, NY - City's Anti-Terror Grants Slashed

New York, NY - Next year the city will get just $124.5 million in anti-terrorism grants from a special program for cities at high risk of attack. That's a cut of some 40 percent from the previous year.

US May Extradite Israeli Drug Dealer To Turkey

United Stats - State Department may extradite an Israeli prisoner serving time in Ohio to Turkey for drug trafficking. Daniel Rosen's attorney: ‘The long wait could end his life’ Roee Nahmias

The US State Department is expected to rule on whether 41-year-old Daniel Rosen, an Israeli citizen who is serving time at an Ohio prison, will be extradited to Turkey. Rosen has actually finished his prison term and was scheduled to be released in 2002, but his release was postponed due to an extraditing request by Turkey.

In 1990 when Rosen flew from Israel to Turkey and was detained there for suspicions of drug trafficking after Yassin Fakri, a local Turkish criminal, identified Rosen as his partner in crime. Rosen was carrying USD 20,000 he claimed were meant for gambling. After four hours at the police station in Antalya, Turkey, Rosen managed to escape to Israel, where he immediately changed his name. In 1995 Rosen flew to Miami, Florida where he was arrested for suspicions of involvement in a drug trafficking deal with a Cuban national. Following a trial he was sentenced to jail time in 1996 and was scheduled to be released in 2002.

Two months before his release, the Turkish police matched Rosen's fingerprints with the Americans and his new identity was revealed. Turkey filed an extraditing request with the State Department and Rosen's release was delayed.

Should Rosen be extradited to Turkey he is facing a harsh sentence to be served in an infamous Turkish prison system. "We are very concerned that once the State Department handles the case Daniel will be extradited to Turkey, which to him means a death sentence," a relative said.

Albany, NY - Corrupted Tactics By Tax Official

Albany, NY - An official with the state Office of Tax Enforcement tried to force a Brooklyn auto mechanic from his garage so state investigators could use the space to conduct an undercover operation.

A State Inspector General's report said that Thomas Stanton, director of a division of the state Department of Taxation and Finance, and others made numerous threats in 2004 to prosecute the mechanic for tax law violations, even though they knew of no infractions at the time, when the mechanic asked Stanton how he could resolve any problem, he was told he should close his business and vacate the premises.

Stanton told investigators the tactic, known as a "squeeze," was commonplace and that he had operated that way for 26 years.
Tax department Deputy Commissioner Peter Farrell, Stanton's supervisor, later told investigators that Stanton had no authority to try to force a tenant out of business.

Buenos Aires, Argentina - Synagogue Inside Jail Has Opened

Buenos Aires, Argentina - A synagogue has opened inside a prison in Buenos Aires. Sefer Chaim, or Book of Life, the tiny, butter-colored synagogue, is in the Villa Devoto Federal Penitentiary Service Unit 2.

It is believed to be the first prison synagogue in Latin America, according to Argentine Jewish officials. Located in the jail’s third floor, the synagogue - modestly decorated with two flickering lights and three tiny windows - marks a commitment to Judaism in Argentina.
Until its inauguration, some of the 20 Jewish prisoners of Devoto, which has 2,056 prisoners, used to meet with a Jewish seminarian in the Catholic chapel.

Manhattan, NY +Level One For Protest+

Manhattan, NY +Level One For Protest+ A demonstration in front of 140 East 45th Street between Lexington Avenue and 3rd Avenue's at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
NYPD of the 17th Pct are requesting a level one mobilization and ESU for a group of protestors who chained themselves together.

U/D:
Cops have arrested 21 of the protesters that chained themselves together.

Ashdod, Israel - Police Have Given Up Finding The Corpse Snatched By Orthodox Jews

Ashdod, Israel - Police said they had given up searching for the corpse of a baby girl snatched by Orthodox Jews who opposed her autopsy.

Authorities said they believed that the tiny corpse had been secretly buried after it was removed from a morgue in the coastal city of Ashkelon on Sunday during a clash between stone-throwing Orthodox protesters and police.
Police wanted an autopsy of the baby. “There were people within the community who understood and realised we were going to carry out an autopsy and therefore wanted to bury the baby as quickly as possible to prevent this,” said an Israeli police spokesman.

Roadblocks were set up around Ashkelon to search cars exiting the city, and police said that they still hope to find those responsible for sawing through an iron-bar window and ferrying away the baby’s corpse.

Teaneck, NJ +Heavy Traffic E/B Rt 4+

Teaneck, NJ +Heavy Traffic E/B Rt 4+ A motor vehicle accident on the eastbound of Route 4 is blocking the two left lanes approaching the George Washington Bridge, extra heavy delays to the bridge this morning.

Israel - Dairy Co. Misled Using Cholav Nochri

Tnuva, Israel's largest dairy Co., misled consumers by not specifying that products marked kosher contain derivatives considered by some to be non-kosher, according to a petition presented to the Supreme Court.
 
The petition comes on the eve of Shavuos as dairies step up their marketing efforts to take advantage of the Jewish custom of eating milk products in honor of the holiday.
 
In the petition they argue that Tnuva's rabbi permits the use of milk proteins and ingredients derived from halav nochri - milk that was milked by a gentile or without Jewish supervision - without specifying this on the product's package. They also argue that the Chief Rabbinate has failed to enforce its own directives requiring all products containing such milk to be specifically marked as such.
 
Senior kosher supervision sources said that Tnuva is not the only dairy that includes such milk in its regular kosher products. Strauss, Nestle and Ma'adanot do as well.

Monsey, NY +MVA With Entrapment+

Rockland County, Monsey, NY +MVA With Entrapment+ A serious motor vehicle accident on Suzanne Drive and Maple Avenue with two aided that are trapped inside the vehicle, FD took down the door and extricated one aided other one is still pinned inside, Hatzolah will transport to hospital.

U/D: 23:04
Hatzolah transporting both of them to the hospital in stable condition.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Delivery Man Robbed+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Delivery Man Robbed+ Multiple units of the 90th Pct and Williamsburg Shomrim Patrol are on the scene at 130 Clymer Street where a delivery man was robbed by three males, units are canvassing the area.

Paterson, NJ +Major Train Derailment+

Passaic County, Paterson, NJ +Major Train Derailment+ Some cars of a 40+ cars train on the NJ Transit line have derailed along Madison Avenue and East 18th Street from Broadway to Governor, with some of them into a commercial car wash building causing a major natural gas leak, the building collapsed and the entire area has been evacuated by PD for a high risk of an explosion, numerous agencies are on the scene. PD, FD, EMS are all on the scene requesting County PD and NJ Transit PD, train is possibly by the Susquehanna Freight Train, unknown of any victims at this time.

U/D: 22:07
Some cars of the 40 plus freight cars are derailed, one is overturned with a leak, 2 are thru the collapsed car wash with a major natural gas leak.

Monticello, NY - Bear Roaming The Area

Monticello - There was a bear in the woods next to the Monticello High School today, and the kids seemed to find this a nice distraction. "I wanna see the bear," one student yelled out a second-floor classroom window.

Passers-by spotted the bear smallish, maybe 100 pounds, said police Chief Doug Solomon in the woods that occupy a few lush acres between the high school/middle school parking lots, Wood Avenue and the Rutherford Elementary School. A few minutes before dismissal, interim high school Principal George Vanderzell announced the bear's presence over the school public-address system. "The bear has not been apprehended at this time," he said, and urged kids to stay away from the woods as they walked home.

Police and school staff kept the kids on the sidewalk as they hiked down the access road toward Wood Avenue. School employee Bill Nolan had to interrupt a couple of kids' cell phone calls to warn them. "When you get the report, you've got to let people know, and take proper precautions," Vanderzell said as he watched the buses pull away. "We alerted the students, and we had some extra people out."

Manhattan, NY +All Lanes Closed W/B G.W.B.+

Manhattan, NY +All Lanes Closed W/B G.W.B.+ A care fire on the lower level west bound of the George Washington Bridge, has PAPD closing off all lanes.

Hackensack, NJ +Jail On Lock Down+

Hackensack, NJ +Jail On Lock Down+ Police activity at the Bergen County Jail at 160 S. River Street, entire jail complex is on a total lock down due to a large power failure, all inmates to be kept indoors and no incoming inmates are being accepted.

Beit Shemesh, Israel - Separate Business Hours For Men, Women In Post Office

Beit Shemesh, Israel - Managers of the post office branch in the Menucha Venachala neighborhood of Beit Shemesh gave in to residents’ requests and established separate business hours to service male and female customers.

Residents said that a visit to the post office entails long waits, and forces the local men and women, most of whom are Orthodox, to spend a long time together.

Brooklyn, NY - Be Cartful Of Gang Attacks In And Around Prospect Park

Brooklyn, NY - Nine people have been victims of muggers along Prospect Park West in the last six weeks alone, bringing the total number of attacks in the area to 16 since January.

All of the attacks happened when groups of five to eight teens gathered around a solo victim, in many cases the victims were also teens who would be robbed of their cell phones but that hasn't always been the case. The most recent victim was a 53-year-old man.

Police have made some arrests since the attacks began but they're concerned that the arrests haven't seemed to slow down the crime spree. Park users say more beat patrols are needed.

The NYPD says residents here shouldn't be too concerned. They say while the number is fairly high at first glance, they say the number of robberies in this area has not changed from one year ago.

Michigan - Farm Search for Hoffa Ends

Milford Township, Mich. - The FBI is wrapping up its two-week search of a suburban Detroit horse farm after finding no trace of former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa's remains.

If You Dropped A Deposit Over The Holiday Weekend In The Key Bank Of Newburg, Double Check If They Got It

Newburgh, NY - In the wee hours of the morning, some robbers didn't just steal some cash from the Key Bank in Newburg, they took the whole night deposit receptacle straight out of the wall.

The theft was reported at about 5:40 a.m. today. Officers came and found the receptacle in a wooded area near the bank, with numerous deposit bags missing. It’s unknown how much cash was taken.

The bank’s alarm was tripped at 12:30 a.m. and again at 1:30 a.m., but police were not notified, they said.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Det. William Leonick of the Newburg Police Department.

Brooklyn, NY +Pursuit On The B.Q.E E/B+

Brooklyn, NY +Pursuit On The B.Q.E E/B+ NYPD 90th Pct are in pursuit of a motorcycle on the eastbound of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, closing down the highway, NYPD of the 94th Pct, 108th Pct, Highway units and Aviation are all searching for the perp a Hispanic male on a gold Suzuki motorcycle.

U/D: 15:01
ESU Adam-8 is requesting EMS for 2 MOS from the 108th Pct that were involved in a MVA during the pursuit, EMS enroute.

MD +Washington-Area Sniper Found Guilty+

Rockville, MD +Washington-Area Sniper Found Guilty+ A jury has found John Allen Muhammad guilty of six counts of murder in the Washington-area sniper shootings.

U/D: 06/01/06 10:38
Muhammad gets six consecutive life sentences.

Queens, NY E/B Belt Parkway Shut Down+

Queens, NY E/B Belt Parkway Shut Down+ A motor vehicle accident with a confirmed pin on the east bound of the Belt Parkway near exit 19 at the Van Wyck Expressway, has NYPD shut down the all lanes of the highway, EMS to respond on the westbound side.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Scaffold Collapse+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Scaffold Collapse+ At the construction site on North 10th Street and Driggs Avenue a crane knocked off the scaffolding at the building that's under demolition onto parked cars in front of the building, but no one was injured, FD, PD and ESU are all on the scene requesting Buildings Department to respond.

Medzhibozh - Ukraine - Lots Of Chasidic Jews Coming To Celebrate Shavuos

Medzhibozh - Ukraine - Fervently Orthodox Jews are celebrating Shavuos this week with a pilgrimage to a Ukrainian town considered to be the birthplace of Chasidism. About 1,000 Chasidim from different countries have arrived in Medzhibozh, which contains the grave of the Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of Chasidic Judaism.

Chasidim have been coming to Medzhibozh in significant numbers each year since Jewish pilgrimages to Ukraine were revived in 1988, after the Soviet Union loosened its restrictions on religious practice. Pilgrims are also expected to visit the Ukrainian towns of Berdichev, Nezhin and Gadyach, which are also considered holy sites for Chasidim.

NY - Register Your Electronics With The NYPD

New York, NY - Has your iPod, Blackberry or Treo been stolen? Invisible ink could be the answer to getting it back.

The NYPD has launched a program to mark iPods, cell phones, Blackberries and other portable electronic devices that are often stolen on subway trains and platforms, the program is quietly being offered at Transit Bureau offices and at various subway stations.

The devices are marked with ink that can only be seen with infrared light. With the marking, police are immediately able to determine whether the item has been stolen, then get it back to its owner.

And in case thieves are able to erase the ink, police are recording serial numbers as well.

Staten Island, NY +Gothels Bridge All Lanes Closed+

Staten Island, NY +Gothels Bridge All Lanes Closed+ NYPD ESU on the scene of a multiple vehicle accident on the Staten Island bound of the Gothels Bridge with some entrapment in an overturned dump truck, PAPD putting the tool to work, all lanes closed both directions. PD, EMS and FD are all on the scene, the roof of the cab is being cut.

Bloomfield, CT - DWI Accident Kills Man And His Wife On Way To Shuel

Bloomfield, CT - The wife of a man who died in a crash early Sunday morning has also died.
Shirley Hornstein and her husband, Herman, were heading to their synagogue when an SUV slammed into them at Hall Boulevard and Simsbury Road. Herman Hornstein died at the scene. His wife died of her injuries Monday.

Three people in the blazer that hit them had minor injuries. Police say alcohol was a factor in the crash but no charges have yet been filed.

Jerusalem, Israel - Police Arrest Ultra-Orthodox For Rioting

Jerusalem, Israel - Police arrested 10 ultra-Orthodox men in Jerusalem on rioting charges during a protest against an autopsy ordered on an infant's body.

The body of the baby was stolen and the ultra-Orthodox members attacked police officers and set garbage bins on fire. Some 500 members of the community came to protest the autopsy, breaking windows and causing severe damage to buildings.
Police are working with the community to find the body. The baby died of high fever, which doctors feel could've been prevented with proper antibiotic treatment.

Moscow - Supreme Court To Hear Synagogue Attack Verdict Appeal

Moscow - Russia's Supreme Court would consider an appeal on June 20 against a 13-year prison sentence handed down to a Muscovite convicted of attempted murder in a synagogue knife attack.
The Moscow City Court found Alexander Koptsev, 20 at the time of the attack, guilty of the ethnically and religiously motivated attempted murder of nine people at the synagogue in central Moscow on January 11, but cleared him of instigating racial hatred.

"All the sides are not satisfied with the sentence," a court spokeswoman said. Koptsev's lawyers had asked the Supreme Court to reduce his sentence, whereas the Moscow Prosecutor's Office and lawyers for the injured parties had appealed the decision to clear him of instigating racial hatred.

Doctors diagnosed Koptsev as suffering from schizophrenia, but investigators said he was in his right mind when he committed the crime. The court ruled that Koptsev undergo psychiatric treatment while in prison.

Tokyo - Toyota Recalls More Than 565,000 Cars

Defective parts could cause drivers to lose control of steering wheel

Tokyo - Toyota Motor Corp. said it is recalling more than 565,000 vehicles across nine models, including its popular Prius hybrid car, to replace faulty parts that could cause drivers to lose control of the steering wheel.
Subject to the recall are a total of 565,756 vehicles manufactured under the Wish, Isis, Prius, Corolla, Corolla Runx, Corolla Fielder, Corolla Spacio, Allex and Ractis brands between September 2002 and November 2005, according to the statement.

The number included more than 300,000 Wish cars and more than 113,000 Prius cars.

Lakewood, NJ +Suspicious Package+

Lakewood, NJ +Suspicious Package+ PD on the scene on Prospect Street in Lakewood, NJ with an unattended suspicious package, requesting Berkeley Hazmat and Ocean County Fire Coordinator to respond to the scene.

Manhattan NY +Children on School Bus Assaulted+

Manhattan NY +Children on School Bus Assaulted+ A school bus coming off Riverside Drive at the exit near West 158th Street in Manhattan was assaulted with rocks, FDNY on the scene, multiple members from Hatzolah are responding with a rush for two children that are injured.

Principle to be picked up by Hatzolah to head over to the scene of the incident.

Sunnyvale, CA - A Synagogues Big Loss In Theft

Sunnyvale, CA - The person who broke into a Sunnyvale synagogue office and stole computers, phones and software made off with not just equipment, but the recorded heart of a community.

Since the Synagogue of Sunnyvale opened three years ago, it has offered services for Jewish families that now number more than 500. No financial information about any of them was stolen, but hundreds of kids waiting to go to summer camp will have to register all over again. And the rabbi must somehow re-create years' worth of historical data about programs and people.
Police say this incident is one in a series of burglaries in the area, they say that dental offices recently have been targeted, and the synagogue is located in a building occupied by several dentists' offices.

The secretary discovered the break-in when she came in to work and noticed a broken window and a mess."We are grateful the synagogue was not harmed,'' they said, "but from a financial standpoint this is devastating.'' Machines can be replaced, but the reconstruction of records will take a long time. That task might have been easier, except the thieves also took many of the backup files.

Ukrainian Jews Upset Over Court Ruling

Ukrainian Jewish leaders said they would appeal a court decision that found a school teacher innocent of making anti-Semitic statements.

The court in Ukraine’s Kirovograd region acquitted Nikolay Yakimchuk, a public-school teacher, of hate crime charges.
Yakimchuk was charged with ethnic incitement after several students testified that he allegedly said during his lesson that “Jews are bad and impudent people,” that Jewish students are only “taking space in our school” and there should be “no place for them among people.” Yakimchuk denied any wrongdoing.

Emma Spektor, leader of the Kirovograd Jewish community, said the ruling came as a shock to the Jewish community.

Senator Lautenberg Says I Don't Know Dwek

Public service has many rewards. It has permitted me to give something back to the people of New Jersey who have been so supportive of me. However, there are moments that bring disappointment, such as when a bill you have worked hard on is not approved, or a cynical swipe is taken at your reputation.
One example of such a disappointment was the article that ran on the front page of the Asbury Park Press May 24 that characterized a connection between me and an individual who has been accused of a major felony. ("Court posts list of Dwek assets; Lautenberg co-investor in real estate venture.") It was an attempt to sensationalize a story.

In the article on Solomon Dwek, the Press wrote ". . . the surprising link between Dwek and New Jersey's senior senator shows the extent of Dwek's financial empire." Anyone who read that would believe there is some sort of relationship between Dwek and myself. However, there is not. I don't know Dwek.

I was an investor with at least 35 other people in projects managed by a New Jersey real estate developer, Jerold Zaro. It turns out Dwek was also an investor in Zaro projects. If Dwek's records had shown he owned shares in a mutual fund and it was discovered I did as well, would that mean we are linked together? Hardly. Yet the sub-headline and lead paragraph of your story insinuated that we collaborated on business projects.

The Press has a reputation as being tough, but fair. I have enjoyed reading it and will continue to do so. I hope the story was an anomaly and not a sign that the Press is going to abandon its historic fairness and accuracy.

It is simply unfair to sully my reputation on such a scant connection. I have built my reputation by founding a major international business headquartered in our state, chairing one of the largest charities in the world, and proudly serving the people of New Jersey in the U.S. Senate.

Frank R. Lautenberg

U.S. SENATE

WASHINGTON

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +MVA With Pin+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +MVA With Pin+ A motor vehicle accident on North 5th Street and Driggs Avenue with a person trapped inside the vehicle, FD and ESU TK-8 are on the scene working on the extrication, HURST in operation, FDNY EMS requested on a rush.

Israel - Edah H'Charedis Said: Snatching Out Infant Slated For Autopsy, "Was God's Hand"

Israel - The success of Jewish extremists in snatching the body of an infant they thought was slated for autopsy from under the noses of a battery of police officers is a positive sign from God, a spokesman for the Edah H'Charedis, said. "It was God's hand," said the spokesman, who preferred to remain anonymous for fear police would try to grill him to discover the location of the body, which was clandestinely buried.

The extremists objected to what they considered an autopsy, even after the family, in consultation with rabbis, agreed to a series of tests. These would have involved the drawing of brain fluid from the baby. An unlikely series of moves which the Edah source equated with "a miracle" enabled a small but determined group of Charedim to snatch the tiny body from the padlocked, refrigerated holding room in the Ashdod cemetery.

According to the source, the body snatchers achieved their goal thanks to God and a carefully coordinated plan that included filing the bars of a window with pocketknives, breaking down a door that led to the refrigerated room, and passing the body through a window to the waiting arms of collaborators.

The man responsible for squirming through the small window and breaking into the refrigerated room was even detained but later released by the police. The charedi men who transported the infant's body for burial were also stopped by a police roadblock, questioned and searched, but, miraculously, let go.

Autopsy is considered anathema to many Jews because it desecrates a body created in God's image. More mainstream Orthodox organizations that deal with dead bodies, such as ZAKA or the Chief Rabbinate regularly reach compromises with the police and the judicial system to allow autopsies that minimize intrusive surgery.

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn with Hatzolah on the scene at 18th Avenue and 50th Street requesting Medics to respond on a rush.

Alternate Side Parking Regulations Suspended

Alternate side parking regulations are suspended on Monday, parking meter regulations are also suspended.

Standing, stopping and parking are permitted, except in areas where standing, stopping and parking rules are in effect 7 days a week for instance, "No Standing Anytime".

Odessa, Ukraine - Jewfish Community Want Construction Halted

Odessa, Ukraine - The Jewish community in Odessa is trying to stop construction on Lyusdorfskaya Street, in an area believed to be over the site of a wartime massacre.

In 1941, the Nazis killed and cremated more than 25,000 people, mainly Jews, in this area. The area is marked by two memorials commemorating Jews and Soviet prisoners of war massacred by the Nazis.

The proposed construction site is located 300 yards from one of the memorials.

The Odessa Association of Former Prisoners of Ghettos and Concentration Camps wants to stop the new construction because, according to some witnesses, killings took place close to the proposed construction.

A spokesman for the mayor said that the site is far enough away from the memorial to make the construction acceptable.

Paris, France - Extremists Terrorize Jewish Neighborhood

Paris, France - Police opened an investigation after suspected members of an extremist group marched through a Jewish quarter in central Paris shouting anti-Semitic slogans.

Shoppers in the historic Marais neighborhood, one of the busiest districts in the Jewish area of Paris, were left in shock after a group of more than 20 extremists terrorized community members with anti-Semitic verbal abuse.

The group claiming to be members of the Tribu-Ka anti-white group walked up and down the crowded Rue des Rosiers shouting at the families and youths in the area.

The French Office of Vigilance against anti-Semitism (BNCVA) said in a statement the gang was "performing Nazi salutes, looking for a fight with the neighborhood's Jews, threatening and intimidating them."

Poland Apologizes To Rabbi After Attack

Poland's president expressed solidarity with the country's chief rabbi, who was attacked over the weekend, assuring the Jewish leader he would do everything in his power to oppose anti-Semitism.

President Lech Kaczynski invited Rabbi Michael Schudrich to his palace, where he expressed regret over the attack and said Poland will not tolerate anti-Semitism, said the presidential undersecretary of state, Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka. "The purpose was to say 'I'm sorry for what happened,"' Junczyk-Ziomecka, who was present during the nearly one-hour meeting, said.

She said Kaczynski also told Schudrich that "Poland is an open society, a democratic society. It is open for everyone who wants to be here."

Schudrich said he was "very moved" by Kaczynski's invitation and words of solidarity. "It was a very clear reaction and very important in showing that there is no place in Poland for anti-Semitism," Schudrich said.

Goshen, NY +Helicopter Down+

Goshen, NY +Helicopter Down+ PD and FD on Route 17A and Amelia Acres Farm with a helicopter that had an hard landing deep in the woods with two aided on board with minor injuries, all services enroute.

U/D: 15:04
FD has not reached the crash site at this time.

U/D: 15:11
Multiple agencies on the scene, EMS BLS Units handling the aided.

Iraq - +News Crew Struck By IAD+

Iraq - Two British members of a US news crew are killed and one CBS correspondent was injured after being struck by an IED in Iraq.

Veteran cameraman Paul Douglas, 48, and soundman James Brolan, 42, were killed. Correspondent Kimberly Dozier, 39, was in critical condition at a U.S. military hospital in Baghdad after undergoing surgery.

Cuba +Hunger Strike at Guantanamo Bay+

Cuba - +Hunger Strike at Guantanamo Bay+ The U.S. military says the number of Guantanamo Bay detainees staging a hunger strike has grown from three to seventy five.

Monsey, NY +pedestrian Struck+

Monsey, NY +pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on Forshey Avenue and Grandview, Hatzolah on the scene requesting additional ALS units to respond with a rush.

U/D: 11:04
Hatzolah transported aided to Good Sam. Hospital.

Brooklyn, NY - French Government Sues Brooklyn Dealer Over Ancient Scrolls

Brooklyn, NY - France's National Library has filed suit against a Brooklyn artifacts dealer, demanding the return of a stolen 13th-century Hebrew manuscript he purchased at auction in New York.
The lawsuit against Yosef Goldman is for the centuries-old book, known as "Hebrew 52" among international art experts, which vanished from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. The manuscript contains the Old Testament, comprising the Five Books of Moses, plus five additional scrolls, and was in the French government's possession since 1668, the lawsuit claims.

Authorities aren't sure when the theft took place, but are certain the book sold for $358,000 at the famed Christie's auction house on May 19, 2000.

Now, the library is trying to regain the document itself, which may have been damaged and altered during the theft, according to the suit. "The purpose of the lawsuit brought by the French Ministry of Culture and the French National Library against Mr. Yosef Goldman to recover the possession of a Hebrew manuscript is to maintain the integrity of our large and important collection of Hebrew books, manuscripts and other documents," the library's president, Jean-Noël Jeanneney, said in a statement.

But Goldman, who claims he already passed the manuscript on to a collector, maintains he's ready to work out a deal - but it's Christie's that's gumming up the works, because they dont want to agree on refunding the purchase price, said Goldman's lawyer, Nathaniel Lewin. "Christie's has refused to do so."

Christie's denies it knew the item was stolen when it agreed to auction it, but said "Christie's is working closely with the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in an effort to secure the manuscript's return to France," said Christie's vice president Toby Usnik.

Monroe, NY - Chabad-Lubavitch Planning For A 20,000-Square-Foot Permanent Home In Downtown Monroe

Monroe, NY - Pesach and Chana Burston just want to produce better Jews. Their movement is as outward-looking as the Satmar Hasidim of Kiryas Joel are insular. They want to inspire fellow Jews, whatever they call themselves. "Our philosophy is, we're there to serve Jewish communities, regardless of background," says Pesach, a 29-year-old rabbi. "Why create barriers and distinctions when people have so much in common?"
In their short time in Orange County, he and his wife have built a dedicated following with weekly "Kabbalah and Chicken Soup" gatherings at their spacious Monroe home.

Now they want to establish an even larger Chabad presence in Orange County. They're planning on a 20,000-square-foot building off Gilbert and High Streets in downtown Monroe that would become a permanent home for their expanding activities. It would also hold a synagogue.

Thus far, the only friction the Burstons have encountered is with a rival Chabad group in Goshen, led by Rabbi Yakov Borenstein and his nephew, Meir.
The elder Borenstein, who has represented Chabad in Poughkeepsie for about 20 years, claims he placed his nephew in Goshen to do outreach and that the Burstons are usurpers with no right to the Chabad name. Both groups, the Burstons and the Borensteins, hold similar activities and call themselves Chabad of Orange County.
Occasionally, this otherwise obscure rivalry has spilled into the pages of the local news papers, where the Borensteins have placed ads asserting their legitimacy and distancing themselves from the Burstons' building plans in Monroe.
Chabad headquarters in Cown Heights, Brooklyn, NY sides with the Burstons in this turf battle. "We are particularly pained that a small, irresponsible group is subjecting the good people of Orange County to unnecessary confusion," said a spokesman for the movement. "The only authorized Chabad-Lubavitch representatives in Orange County are Rabbi Pesach and Chana Burston."

The Burstons' success and expansion plans probably also cause a twinge of anxiety within Monroe's Reform and Conservative temples, whose leaders would rather not lose members and donors to Chabad. Some of the couple's most fervent admirers - those who go to the "Kabbalah and Chicken Soup" dinners and underwrite Chabad holiday parties - belong to Congregation Eitz Chaim and Monroe Temple Beth-El.
The rabbis from those two temples preferred not to speak for publication about Chabad.

Ashdod, Israel - Police Have Suspect In The Abduction Body of Charedi Infant From Cemetery

Ashdod, Israel - Police were investigating a suspicion that the body of an ultra-Orthodox one-year-old baby abducted Sunday from Ashdod cemetery was secretly buried in the Jerusalem area.

It is believed that the body was snatched from the purification room at the cemetery by ultra-Orthodox protesters who spent the day rioting over a court decision to run DNA tests on the baby's body as reported on VOS IZ NEIAS.
Police detained a suspect in the abduction, a 53-year-old resident of Ashdod, it is believed that he has been involved in the body's abduction.

Members of Ashdod's ultra-Orthodox community are assisting police in their investigation. They claim they had no knowledge that a plot to abduct the body was being prepared while they negotiated with police to resolve the crisis.

Brooklyn, NY +Hatzolah Member Involved In MVA+

Brooklyn, NY +Hatzolah Member Involved In MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on Avenue "K" and East 8th Street involved an Hatzolah member, other unit coming to assist him, no on seriously injured.

Brooklyn - Developer Ready To Update Coney

Brooklyn, NY - After a half-century of neglect, Coney Island is targeted for a $1 billion renovation aimed at creating a year-round attraction to compete against the theme parks that nearly obliterated the neighborhood.
The work is at least a year off, but it's already the buzz of the water front. "Coney Island seemed like it was in a time warp, and would never change," said Dick Zigun, operator by the Seashore attraction. "Why not have a bigger, better, more exciting Coney Island?"

The developer hopes for a final plan by July 1, with a variety of projects including a high-end hotel (perhaps shaped like a roller coaster), a water park, retail outlets and residential property.

Today, the area is a mix of vacant lots and vintage storefronts.

Des Moines, Iowa - Jewish Veterans Will Leave No Stone Unmarked

Des Moines, Iowa - More graves of Jewish military veterans will be marked with an American flag this Memorial Day, thanks to a campaign to identify those veterans and create a registry.

The campaign is being coordinated to carry on and enlarge the work done for years by an aging group of Jewish veterans. Close to 200 flags at were put out Glendale Cemetery on Memorial Day last year, but none were decorated in the Jewish section of Woodland Cemetery or on graves in the cemetery located at the corner of Easton and Delaware avenues, said Ted Block, 82, of West Des Moines. Block is a World War II veteran, inducted into the Army in 1943 at the age of 18.

When the group began gathering information, there were about 150 known veterans buried in the Jewish section of Woodland Cemetery. About 50 more names have been added to the list, with more being discovered daily, according to Block.

Those who mark and decorate the graves know that an important part of the history of Judaism in Iowa - the record of military service - is slipping away. The campaign to research and document the names of all Jews who served in the U.S. military began in January. "Jews fought in the Revolutionary War," Block said. "In Des Moines' Jewish cemeteries there are graves of Jewish war veterans who fought in the Spanish-American War, World War I and II, Korea and Vietnam. We served our country, and the record of that sacrifice should not be lost."

In addition to preserving history, the Jewish veterans believe they must defend themselves against falsehoods spread by anti-Semites who continue to claim that Jews have not served in the U.S. armed forces, Block said. "Thousands of Jews have died in combat for their country and thousands more have been wounded," said Cheryl Waldman, the Washington, D.C., national program coordinator of Jewish War Veterans of the United States. Writing for a 350-year history of Jewish military service in this country, Waldman noted, "During the 20th century, nearly a million Jews served in the armed services. It continues today, with Jews serving and dying for their country in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

"Every day we find more," Block said.

Lakewood Looks To Clean Up Former Jamesway Site

Lakewood, NJ - Russell K. Corby stands in the parking lot of the old Jamesway discount department store along Route 9 and sees a run-down lot.
For now, the run-down site at the boundary with Howell isn't much to see, but future plans could transform it from vacant land to a small business incubator and federally-funded health and dental clinic.

Corby hopes to get a report back soon from a consulting firm that is studying the Jamesway site and the surrounding area, a roughly 18-acre tract bounded by Route 9, Kennedy Boulevard, Clifton Avenue and the Metedeconk River. The report is expected to "offer alternative planning strategies and recommend beautification and landscape concepts for the subject site," according to a letter from Stearns Associates LLC, the Hunterdon County firm preparing the report. The company was hired for about $35,000

But Lynn Celli, an outspoken member of the LDC board of trustees, said she opposes using public money to review options for private redevelopment. She said the Jamesway building's owner, Beth Medrash Govoha, a downtown rabbinical college, has owned the property for six years and has let it deteriorate in that time. Property records show BMG, as the school is known, bought its 6.6-acre parcel on Route 9 for $1.9 million in 2000.

Corby disagreed, saying the township can work with a private owner to help redevelop the property. He emphasized that the study the LDC paid for is to give the township options, not committing the town to funding a private redevelopment project.

Chanie Jacobowitz, director of governmental affairs for BMG, said in an e-mail that a partnership between the township and BMG would help upgrade a gateway area of Lakewood. "Hospitals, universities and nonprofits usually make good partners with municipalities because they have a common focus on a common good," Jacobowitz wrote.

Ashdod, Israel - Charedi Protesters Suspected Of Kidnapping Baby's Body

Ashdod, Israel - Police suspect that the body of a baby girl missing late Sunday evening from the purification room at the Ashdod cemetery was kidnapped by the ultra-Orthodox protesters who spent the day rioting over a court decision to run DNA tests on the body.

The year-old baby died earlier Sunday after a week of high fever and coughing. A doctor at a local health clinic had prescribed the child with antibiotics, but the parents opted instead to take her for homeopathic treatment. The baby apparently had not undergone any immunization since her birth, a Health Ministry inspector said.

The Ashdod Magistrates Court ruled Sunday that an autopsy should not be performed on the body, but agreed that it should be taken in for a DNA sample. Dr. Michael Gadolvitch, head of the Ashkelon branch of the Health Ministry, had requested permission from the court to carry out an autopsy on the baby's body despite opposition from the child's ultra-Orthodox family.

Some 500 ultra-Orthodox protesters congregated at the Ashdod cemetery to voice their opposition to the medical tests. Some protesters threw stones and shattered windows on local structures. Police and Border Police forces were on the scene in an effort to control the rampage. Three police officers were lightly injured and one police officer was seriously injured in the protests.

The baby's mother discovered her body early Sunday morning. A Magen David Adom medic said the rescue team tried electric shock and other revival techniques, but "had no choice but to declare her dead."

Spring Valley, NY +Ruptured Gas Pump+

Rockland County, Spring Valley, NY +Ruptured Gas Pump+ PD on the scene at the Shell Gas Station at Route 59 requesting the Fire Department on a rush for a gas pump that ruptured at the gas station and gas is spilling across Route 59, Route 59 will be shut down in both directions, expect major delays in the area.

Airmont, NY - Busy Corner Could Get Busier

Airmont, NY - There's hardly a break in traffic on a weekday morning at Route 59 and Airmont Road, lanes fill quickly at all corners. Turning semis squeak past stopped cars, clearing them by what appears to be inches.
The intersection, which county Highway Department officials view as one of the busiest in Rockland, just might get busier. Plans for a new retail shops are coming closer to fruition as the developer moves toward site-plan approval from Airmont's Planning Board. Nearly 20,000 square feet of retail space is planned on two lots adjacent to a 13,900-square-foot strip mall on the north side of Route 59.

One building is proposed east of the existing shopping center, on a vacant lot, and another north of it, where a medical office will be razed. No decisions have been made on the types of businesses that will occupy the new buildings - one 12,391 square feet and the other 7,474 square feet.

Nearly 30,000 vehicles approach the intersection daily on North Airmont Road, and 18,200 travel between the corner and downtown Suffern, according to county and state figures.

Askhenazi Jews Natural Genius?

A recent study from the University of Utah in the forthcoming edition of the Journal of Biosocial Science, concludes that Askhenazi Jews (who make up the large majority of Jews in the US and Europe) have the highest average intelligence of any ethnic group. Higher than Asians, Caucasians, Hispanics, or Blacks.

The researchers theorize that this deviation is a result of intense historical persecution that limited available work for Jews in high intelligence fields (trade and finance) and an isolated gene pool. The researchers also cite as evidence the fact that Jews make up only 2% of the world's population but have won almost 40% of the Nobel prizes, Ashkenazim generally also do well in IQ tests, scoring 12-15 points above the mean value of 100, and have contributed disproportionately to the intellectual and cultural life of the West.

New York, NY - Yossi Ben-Bassat Was The Hero. Now He's The Goat

New York, NY - Yossi Ben-Bassat, the helicopter pilot who rescued his passengers after their tourist chopper splashed into the East River last year, is now being blamed for the crash - by federal investigators and two passengers now suing the chopper company.

The National Transportation Safety Board cites "the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in an attempted takeoff with an overweight helicopter," in its final report on the June 15 crash.
Karen Butler and Gary Rugless, the stout couple from Chelmsford, England, that made up part of the payload, filed suit last week against tour company Helicopter Flight Services, claiming it neglected to properly account for passenger weight before takeoff.

The pilot did not ask passengers their weight, and the company did not have a scale at the Pier 6 heliport on Wall Street, according to the NTSB's Feb. 28 report. Instead, Ben-Bassat, a former Israeli air force veteran, eyeballed the girth of the hefty tourists and guessed wrong by nearly 170 pounds, the report said.
While trying to lift off, the aircraft stuttered and labored, and at one point the skids scraped the ground as the copter failed to gain altitude with the weight of the passengers, according to the federal agency. The helicopter barreled toward the East River until it reached the end of the 270-foot helipad and struck its tail on the pier, catapulting it and its passengers into the water.

Butler, who was celebrating her 40th birthday on a surprise trip to New York, could not swim. When the craft began to sink, she struggled to free herself from the safety harness until Ben-Bassat freed her and pulled her to the surface by her hair.
Ben-Bassat was hailed as a hero, but now the couple and the agency are saying he's the cause of the crash. Ben-Bassat, who no longer works for Helicopter Flight Services, would not comment on the suit or NTSB findings.

Bloomingburg, NY +E/B Route 17 MVA+

Sullivan County, Bloomingburg, NY +E/B Route 17 MVA+ A three car motor vehicle accident with injuries, on the eastbound of Route 17 between exit 115 and exit 116, FD on the scene requesting ALS units and Rescu Team to respond, Hatzolah also responding.

New York, NY - Yeshiva Student In Class By Himself

New York, NY - Sammy Samuels can count the Jewish population of his homeland, Myanmar, on his fingers and toes - to the exact digit - and despite his current residence in New York, he includes himself in the count. "There are exactly 20 of us left in the whole country," he said , "and I'm the youngest." there are exactly eight Jews left in the capital, which has a population of 4 million.
Samuels, who is 25, took a subway to Madison Square Garden Thursday for the annual Yeshiva University commencement exercises - and as diverse as his 2,000 or so fellow graduates were, it is safe to say that Samuels belonged in a class by himself.

For one thing, he is the first Jewish student in school history from his country, which is known as Myanmar to its military rulers and as Burma to much of the rest of the world. For another, his application to attend Yeshiva, an Orthodox citadel in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, was smuggled out of Myanmar by a tourist from New York.

What makes Sammy run, he said, is a desire to become an international businessman and eventually to take his place as a leader of the small, shrinking Jewish community at home. He has taken the first giant step on both goals - his degree is in international business and, with a 3.89 grade point average, he was valedictorian of the James Striar School of General Jewish Studies, where he studied the Torah and Talmud.

Samuels is not ready to return home just yet. He intends to attend graduate school at Yeshiva, which will keep him in New York for another two years, and he hopes to gain some on-the-job experience in international business.

Postville, IA - Kosher Meat Packer Accused Of Worker Abuse

Postville, IA - The largest kosher meat packing plant in the United States has been accused of paying workers low wages, union busting and bad working conditions.
While top officials at AgriProcessors in Postville, Iowa, deny the allegations, But testimony from workers and scholars who looked into them tell a different story. Some claim they get barely more than $6 an hour with little training and skimpy break time to produce the beef and chicken sold under the Aaron's Best brand. And the burgeoning numbers of immigrant workers say they get treated worst.  

Plant manager Sholom Rubashkin said, that working conditions are legal and allegations like bribery and threats of firing or deportation are untrue.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has written up AgriProcessors on six violations so far this year, which makes up more than half of all violations served to meat packing plants in the state. Mark Grey, the director of the University of Northern Iowa's Center for Immigrant Leadership and Integration, said the ultra-observant, Hasidic Jewish owners don't value non-Jewish workers.Grey said, "The bottom line here is that I'm not sure these devout Jews are using Jewish ethics to treat their workers."

Monticello, NY - Governor Urges Feds To Approve Casino Plan

Monticello, NY - The Pataki administration took its strongest position in years in favor of a Mohawk Indian casino at the Monticello Raceway, asking the feds to expedite their review and promising all the support needed to make it happen.

The support came in a letter from Greg Allen, Governor George Pataki's assistant counsel, mailed to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. "The governor strongly supports the tribe's efforts to build a casino at the raceway site," Allen said in the letter. "I respectfully urge the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) to expedite its review process and promptly notify this office once the potential environmental impacts have been satisfactorily addressed."

The letter was the clearest public signal yet of Pataki's blessing for what remains the only Catskill casino plan that could feasibly be approved before the end of his administration. "We'll do what we have to do to get it done," said Pataki spokesman Saleem Cheeks.

West Hartford, CT - Teens Arrested For Spray Painting Community Center

West Hartford, CT - Police have busted 4 teens in connection with the graffiti spray painted on and around the Jewish community center. Investigators say the 15 year olds are also responsible for spray painting messages on street signs, a stone bridge, and a neighbor's garage door.

But they have no proof that the teens are also responsible for the swastika spray painted at the Chabad House. As reported by VOS IZ NEIAS.

Ramapo, NY - Construction Begins On Yeshiva-Apartment Building

Ramapo, NY - Apartments in the town's first residential-yeshiva community are being built while building-permit fees remained in dispute.

A building permit has been issued for the construction at the Grandview Avenue site, where excavations began months ago in preparation for the town's first development in a zone accommodating apartments connected to religious schools. The permit was issued by the town despite the dispute over the fees owed by Mosdos Chofetz Chaim, which is overseeing the yeshiva. "They've paid a substantial (part of the) fee, so we're not going to hold up the project because of that," Town Attorney said, but certificates of occupancy allowing use of the buildings could not be issued until all fees were paid.

Rabbi Aryeh Zaks has complained to the Zoning Board of Appeals that the building-permit fees based on construction costs were unfairly raised by more than $20,000.
An initial construction estimate of $6 million was raised to $8.4 million, which raised the town's fee to $75,617 from $54,046. The latter sum had already been paid by Mosdos Chofetz Chaim.
Mosdos Chofetz Chaim's dispute over the fee is to be heard by the zoning board on July 6.
During the same session, the board will also review town charges that the developer permitted a school to be operated on a fenced corner of the site without municipal approval.

Washington, DC - Treasury Disconnects Telephone Tax

Washington, DC - Telephone callers will see one tax drop off their bills this summer and can look forward next year to a refund of federal taxes paid on long-distance and bundled services.
Treasury Secretary John Snow announced the government's decision to stop fighting companies that have been successfully challenging the tax in court.

Beginning July 31, consumers will stop paying a 3 percent federal excise tax on long-distance calls and bundled services. Consumers next year can also obtain a refund of taxes paid since March 2003, with interest, by asking for the money back through their 2006 tax returns, the Treasury Department expects to send $13 billion back to consumers.

Consumers typically pay a few dollars each month for the tax. A caller who pays $50 each month for long-distance calls would pay $54 of taxes in a year.

Brooklyn, NY +Child Struck+

Brooklyn, NY +Child Struck+ A motor vehicle accident in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn on Lee Avenue and Heyward Street, with a child that was struck and slammed into the windshield of a green mini-van, Hatzolah BLS and ALS responding, Ambulance requested forthwith.

U/D: 10:33
BLS units requesting ALS on a rush child is unconscious.

U/D: 10:44
Hatzolah on the way transporting to Bellevue Hospital, Child has head trauma but is now concious and alert.

El Salvador - A New York Heart Surgeon Hailed As Hero

El Salvador - A New York cardiologist is being hailed as a hero for stopping to donate his blood to one of his patients during surgery.

Doctor Samuel Weinstein of Chappaqua is chief of pediatric cardio-thoracic surgery at Montefiore Medical Center's Children's Hospital. On May 11th, he was in El Salvador, performing a delicate heart operation on an eight-year-old boy when the boy began bleeding heavily. The only way to save him was through a blood transfusion, but the boy had a rare blood type, B-negative, which happened to be the doctor's blood type.

Weinstein immediately walked away from the operating table and donated his own blood for the transfusion.

Warsaw, Poland - Chief Rabbi Attacked

Krakow, Poland - Poland's chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, was punched and sprayed with what appeared to be pepper spray Shabbos afternoon by an unidentified man in downtown Warsaw, but escaped without injuries from what police said may have been an anti-Semitic attack.

Rabbi Schudrich was heading to Warsaw's main synagogue with a group of people when a young man yelled out "Poland for Poles!" so the Rabbi approached the gentleman to ask him why he said such things and his reaction was to punch him in the chest. "I was going to hit him back, but before I had a chance to hit him he sprayed me with some kind of spray - maybe pepper spray," the Rabbi said.
He said his eyes still burned from the spray but that he was otherwise uninjured.
The man, who quickly fled, was being sought by police, said Interior Ministry spokesman Tomasz Sklodowski. An image of the attacker's face was drafted with the help of witnesses and distributed to police throughout the city, he said. "We're treating this as a possible anti-Semitic provocation, although it may have simply been an act of hooliganism," Sklodowski said.