Guantanamo Bay - Inmates Commit Suicide

Guantanamo Bay - Three detainees at Guantanamo Bay have committed suicide by hanging themselves with nooses made of sheets and clothes.

Israel - The Palestinian Authority Frees Kidnapped American Jew

Israel - The Palestinian Authority (PA) has freed an American Orthodox Jew from Jerusalem who was kidnapped Motzie Shabbos (Saturday night) by Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in order to win the freedom of jailed Arab prisoners.

The PA said the young man, in his 20s and identified on a terrorist's videotape as Benjamin Bright-Fishbein, is well and unharmed.
The PA said Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorists released Bright-Fishbein to them, who several minutes ago was released to the IDF and is undergoing questioning at the Hawara checkpoint in Samaria.

Unnamed sources quoted that Fishbein who is currently studying in Jerusalem and wears a traditional Jewish skullcap and does not speak Hebrew, lost his way and ended up in Shechem, where he was kidnapped. His American citizenship and the association of the kidnappers with Al Aqsa, aligned with the Fatah faction of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, apparently convinced the PA to act for his freedom.

Shavuos in Satmar: A Tale of Two Rebbes

New York - In Kiryas Joel, they piled into the main synagogue and a huge tent beside it. In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, they poured into the cavernous new Satmar synagogue.
Two crowds for two rebbes -- Aron and Zalmen Teitelbaum, rival brothers who have each donned the crown of the Satmar grand rebbe since their father, Moses, died on April 24. The occasion was Shavuos, a festive Jewish holiday that concluded Saturday night, June 3, with huge gatherings in Kiryas Joel and Williamsburg. For each set of followers, it was time to show their numbers and celebrate Shavuos with their new rebbe.

A set of photos show Aron supporters assembled in the Kiryas Joel tent and a then walking in a torch-lit procession to their rebbe's home. A second set of photos show Rebbe Zalmen and his followers at his home and in the Williamsburg syangogue.

Gaza City, Gaza - Hamas Threatens To End Truce

Gaza City, Gaza - A leaflet statement from the military wing of Hamas has threatened to resume attacks on Israel in the wake of what it terms "Zionist massacres", and it will no longer honor a February 2005 truce with Israel.

London, UK - £2million For Rabbi's Brain-Damaged Son

London, UK - The son of Rabbi Yitzchok and Dena Kleiman from New Jersey, was left catastrophically brain-damaged after suffering heart failure when aged nine today he received a £2.4 million pay-out in London's High Court.

His parents sought damages on their son Shmuel's behalf now 18-years-old, alleging negligent treatment by GP, Dr Anthony Levy.

The Kleiman family were then living in Cranwich Road, Stoke Newington - the same street in which Dr Levy practised.

His QC, David Foskett claimed the doctor had failed to diagnose Shmuel's airway inflammation, although adding that Dr Levy has always steadfastly denied liability for the tragedy.

The £2.4 million settlement was reached on the basis of a 40 percent reduction, taking into account the continued dispute on liability and the risks of litigation.

Washingtonville, NY - High School Evacuated After Unknown Chemical Found

Washingtonville, NY - Students at the Washingtonville High School were sent home Friday morning after an unknown chemical was spilled in a bathroom. The chemical was first thought to be chlorine; however, that was ruled out by Haz-Mat officials who were on the scene all morning and into the afternoon.

Washingtonville Police Chief said investigators were going floor to floor trying to determine if the substance is in any locations other than where it was initially found.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on 18th Avenue and 47th Street, Hatzolah requested on a rush with two ambulances to the scene.

Brooklyn, NY - Warehouse Owners To Be Arraigned On Charges Of Neglect

Brooklyn, NY - The owners of the Greenpoint warehouse that went up in flames last month are due to be arraigned Friday on charges they neglected the historical waterfront property.

Joshua Guttman and his son Jack are charged with hundreds of counts of failure to maintain the Greenpoint terminal market. The two face up to $5,000 in fines for each misdemeanor, or more than $2 million total.

A homeless man, Leszek Kuczera, 59, is accused of setting the May 2nd fire that destroyed the seven warehouses. Police say he had been burning insulation off copper wiring from the buildings to sell as scrap. He has been charged with arson and burglary.

Police are still searching for another person wanted in connection with the fire.

Brooklyn, NY +Pursuit After Perp With Knife+

Brooklyn, NY +Pursuit After Perp With Knife+ Borough Park Shomrim Patrol were in a pursuit after a Pontic vehicle with a perp inside that took out a knife on one of there members, chase was on 51st Street and 12th Avenue, when one of the perp's vehicle got involved in a motor vehicle accident, Hatzolah requested but no one seriously injured, female from other vehicle that got hit is RMA.

Gaza - Israeli Air Strike Kills Gaza Security Chief

Gaza - A senior Palestinian security official in the Hamas government was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on a militant camp in the southern Gaza Strip, witnesses and medics said.
They said Jamal Abu Samhadana, also a leader of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) militant group, was among four people killed in a PRC-run camp near the town of Khan Younis.

It was the first time Israel has killed an appointee of the government under Hamas, an Islamist group that took power in March after an election victory over the more moderate Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Monsey, NY +Chesed Shell Emes Requested+

Rockland County, Monsey, NY +Chesed Shell Emes Requested+ The Medical Examiner and Chesed Shell Emes are requested to Phyllis Terrace for a 50-year-old found DOA at location.

Iraq +Zarqawi Survived Initial Strike+

Iraq - The American military force in Iraq said, that al-Qaida terrorist leader Abu Mauswab al-Zarqawi survived the U.S. Air strikes and was still alive at the time Iraqi forces arrived at the site, but died shortly afterwards, without giving further details.

Study - Holocaust Survivors More Likely To Have Cancer

Study - Survivors of the Holocaust are more likely to suffer from cancer and die from it, researchers say.
Israel's Haifa University suspect that cancers are most likely caused by the near-starvation of European Jews during World War II.
The researchers looked at the incidence and death rate from cancer in around four million Israelis of European origin, comparing those who emigrated from Europe before 1939 with those from after the war ended in 1945.

Those who had been in Europe during the Holocaust were more than twice as likely to suffer cancer later in life, and up to 13 percent less likely to survive the disease.
Some cancers were particularly common among Holocaust survivors, they found.
For example, cancer of the large intestine was nine times likely to afflict male survivors.

Monsey, NY - Democrat Wants Karben To Give His Cash To Charity

Monsey, NY - Rockland's Democratic leader has given Ryan Karben a suggestion about what to do with the $534,000 in his coffers.

Democratic Committee Chairman Vincent Monte has asked the former assemblyman to give leftover campaign funds to Rockland charities after returning donations to contributors who want their money back.
In a letter to Karben, he wrote: "It is not in the best interests of you, your family, or the Democratic Party to keep your campaign account open."

Berlin, Germany - Hitler's Bunker Location Marked

Berlin, Germany - It is the first time authorities have allowed the site of Hitler's bunker, just 200 metres (220 yards) from Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, to be officially identified. There had been fears marking the site would attract right-wing extremists.

Hitler killed himself in the bunker at the end of April 1945 as Soviet troops closed in on the city.

One of Hitler's former bodyguards, 88-year-old Rochus Misch, who was at the unveiling, said people should be informed of history, even when it was the history of a devil. "During the last 12 days of the war, I was down here with Hitler and the other bodyguards all the time," he said. After the war, Soviet soldiers blew up most of the bunker, and in the 1980s the remaining foundation and walls were filled with rubble, making it inaccessible.

It is now buried under a car park surrounded by blocks of apartments built by the former East German government.

Canada - Two Ontario Men Accused Of Being Nazi Guards

Canada - The brutal daily horrors of life in a Nazi concentration camp were described in excruciating detail in Federal Court in Canada at the hearing for two Canadians accused of working as Nazi guards during the Second World War.

Josef Furman, 85, of Edmonton and Jura Skomatchuk, 83, of St. Catharines, Ont., could both have their Canadian citizenship revoked and be deported if they lose their cases. The citizenship revocation hearing began after documents allegedly detailing the men's work histories were ruled admissible by the judge.

Historian Johannes Tuchel told court Skomatchuk's name appeared on transfer lists several times, suggesting he was trained as an armed guard at the Nazi Trawniki camp before being transferred to serve at a number of concentration camps.

Brooklyn, NY +Williamsburg Bridge Jumper Up+

Brooklyn, NY +Williamsburg Bridge Jumper Up+ All services on the Subaway's "J" line are suspended due to a jumper being on the tracks section of the bridge, also expect traffic delays on the bridge.

Manhattan, NY - Tombstones In One Of The City's Oldest Cemeteries, Damaged By Construction

Manhattan, NY - Mortar from a construction site has damaged nearby tombstones in one of the city's oldest Jewish cemeteries.

The material got spattered over a few dozen tombstones in the cemetery, which sits next to a department store in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood that is being redeveloped into luxury condominiums.

The cemetery, owned by Congregation Shearith Israel, was used from 1829 to 1851 and also holds the remains of three Jewish soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War. "It's a big deal because the cemetery is very important to us," said Rabbi Marc Angel, the congregation's senior rabbi. "We are highly sensitive to anything that happens in that cemetery."
Diane Jackier, a spokeswoman for the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, said mortar from the construction site had fallen on the cemetery and gotten stuck on the tombstones, and the commission has notified the site's developer, Elad Properties, that it is responsible for any necessary cleaning and repair of the tombstones.
Elad also owns The Plaza hotel on Fifth Avenue as reported on VOS IZ NEIAS, which is undergoing renovation for partial conversion to condominiums.

Tashkent, Uzbek - Chief Rabbi’s Secretary Found Murdered

Tashkent, Uzbek - The 20-year-old secretary of Chief Rabbi Abe David Gurevich of Central Asia, Karina Rivka Loiper, and her mother Svetlana Loiper were found dead in their Tashkent apartment.

Police arrived at the Loiper home and broke into the apartment to find a chilling scene. "The mother’s body was found first in the living room, lifeless. Karina was found in a crumpled position, which led police to understand that she had tried to hide in one of the rooms. It was clearly murder," Rabina said. Tashkent police were offering no further details regarding the circumstances of the case, he added.

Monsey, NY - Residents Worry About Route 306 Development

Monsey, NY - The developer of a 160-unit condominium complex off Route 306 will donate land to the town of Ramapo as open space, but some residents believe the project will add to the already-congested area. Howard Josephs, president of Blueberry Commons LLC, is proposing five multi-family apartment buildings on 10 acres near Route 306 and Kearsing Parkway.
The 16-acre site now has a parking lot and a swimming pool for residents of the Blueberry Hill housing complex. Josephs' family has managed the 318-unit housing complex for 40 years.

Michael Goldman, a resident of the Blueberry Hills complex for 30 years, said he was concerned about congestion because both complexes would share Kearsing Parkway as an entrance and exit. The road allows residents to leave or enter the complex from Jill Lane or from Route 306.

New York - Lawmakers Consider Race To Identify Potential Terror

New York - State legislation proposed would allow law enforcers to consider race and ethnicity - a "terrorist profile" - to identify potential suspects.

A civil rights advocate decried the move, saying it's "anathema to principles of equality."

The bill, which hasn't yet come up for a vote in either the state Assembly or Senate, would allow "the use of race as one of many criteria in the war on terror," said Assemblyman Dov Hikind, D-Brooklyn. "Suicide bombers and terrorists fit a very specific intelligence profile, and race and ethnicity is very much a part of that profile."

Israel - Need Cash? Find Law Permitting Wigs

Israel - Are you in overdraft? Maybe you should try to find a source in Halacha (Jewish law) permitting married women to wear wigs instead of other kinds of head coverings. The Institute for the Dissemination of Learning and the Clarification of Laws Concerning Wigs is offering $18,000 to anyone learned in Jewish law who can prove that modern wigs are permissible according to Halacha. Prove this via proof from a rabbi, and you would win $36,000.

There is a long-standing dispute in the ultra-Orthodox community about whether married women may wear wigs instead of other head coverings. Those who support the wearing of wigs claim that while Jewish law demands that the head be covered, the type of covering does not matter. Opponents of this view claim that if the head covering looks like hair, then it is pointless. An announcement by the Institute posted in synagogues around the country prior to Shavuot states definitively that wigs are forbidden.

"Modern wigs are forbidden according to the Torah since they are just as much a breach of the law as hair, if not more," according to the announcement. "Unfortunately, such breaches are rampant among the ultra-Orthodox, and everyone has an obligation to put out the burning flame and to make haste to remove an obstacle, to eradicate this terrible problem of wigs… Every woman well knows in her heart the bitter truth, and how wigs look today, and she is going to be judged for this, and no excuses will avail in the next world.

"Therefore, every woman should make haste to join the thousands of righteous women who have already removed all kinds of wigs and pieces of wig that harm the souls of pure and holy young men and yeshiva students of the Jewish people."

Therefore, "in order to encourage students of Torah to study and to teach the real truth… it has been decided to offer a prize of $18,000 to any observant Jew who can show that modern wigs are permitted, and can disprove the aforementioned. And since there are rabbis who still do not know about all this, and who still think that there is permission that can be relied upon, and in order to encourage the students to discuss this with their rabbis, it has been declared that anyone who succeeds in gleaning information from a rabbi who can disprove the aforementioned - as well as the rabbis themselves - will receive a double prize of $36,000.

Furthermore, the Institute’s instructions for those who have gone back to wearing an acceptable head covering are to cover the head with a “modest kerchief, and not, Heaven forbid, all kinds of newfangled modern kerchiefs and head coverings that are liable to attract attention because of the evil inclination and to cause the public to sin with accessories that attract the eye."

Monsey, NY +Car Into Tree+

Monsey, NY +Car Into Tree+ A motor vehicle accident with a car that went into a tree in front of Monsey Jewish Center on Route 306, aided being transported to Westchester Medical Center.

Brooklyn, NY +Search For Missing Elderly Male+

Borough Park, Brookly, NY - Shomrim Patrol is searching for a missing person.  Missing from Sharone Manor 631 Foster Ave, last seen at 15:30.

Missing is: Male, 91 Years of age, clean shaven, tinted (brown/red) glasses, wearing a black suit possibly with a black raincoat, black yarmulka.  Walks with a cane.
Goes by the name Solomon Lerner. 

Anyone who sees someone matching the description should please call the Shomrim Hotline at 718-871-6666.

Rockland County, NY +Palisades Parkway Shut Down+

Rockland County, NY +Palisades Parkway Shut Down+ A serious motor vehicle accident on the Palisades Interstate Parkway  near Exit 6, with serious injuries, PD on the scene and shutting down the P.I.Pmin both directions.

Brooklyn, NY +Stuck Elevator+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Stuck Elevator+ The elevator got stuck at 551 Flushing Avenue, Hatzolah on the scene, requesting Fire Department to respond.

New York, NY - Israeli Buys Second New York Property

New York, NY - Elad Properties of Israel has bought the large office block owned by Citigroup and located along the Hudson River. Elad, controlled by Yitzchak Tshuva, already has purchased the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

The latest deal was valued at $142 million. The building on the site was constructed in 1910 and is listed as an historical landmark, meaning that the facade cannot be altered. The building will be renovated for a hotel and residential units.

Iran Leader's Aide Said Jews Are Filthy

Jews are filthy people, and that is why they have been accused throughout history of spreading deadly disease and plagues, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s advisor Mohammad Ali Ramin told students during a visit at the town of Rasht. 

Ramin, a historian who serves as the president's most senior aide, is believed to be the man behind the regime's recent statements that the Holocaust is a myth.

“Historically, there are many accusations against the Jews. For example it was said that they were the source for such deadly disease as the plague and typhus. This is because the Jews are very filthy people. For a time people also said that they poisoned water wells belonging to Christians and thus killed them,” Ramin is quoted as saying.  

“I only know that Jews have been accused of such conspiracies and sabotage throughout history and have not performed well," he added.

Newark, NJ - Court: Relative Can Sue Over Incomplete Funeral Ritual

Newark, NJ - A state appellate court ruled Thursday that a relative in mourning can sue a funeral home for emotional distress over an incomplete pre-funeral ritual for Orthodox Jews.

The decision reverses the finding of a trial judge, who said the matter could be resolved by having the relative only pay for the completed portion of the ritual, which involves maintaining a vigil over the body until the funeral.

The dispute arose in February 1999, when Emanuel Needle made funeral arrangements for his father-in-law with Menorah Chapels of Millburn. His in-law, 100-year-old Victor Mintz of Maplewood, died on a Friday, so the funeral was not conducted until Sunday because the Jewish Shabbas runs from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. Needle arranged, at a cost of $900, to have six shifts of body watchers, known as "shomerim" to keep a vigil until the funeral. Menorah Chapels subcontracted that task to a burial society, but only the final three shifts appeared, starting after the Shabbas ended, according to court records.

Needle and the family learned just before the funeral that the body had been left alone, contrary to Orthodox custom, the court said.

Eight months later, the funeral home sued Needle for payment for its services, minus $390 for the three shifts. Needle countersued, charging that the funeral home's negligence and breach of contract caused the family emotional distress.

A Superior Court judge determined that the issue was a contractual matter that could be settled by determining "the difference between what was promised, and what was received." Needle's counterclaim was dismissed and a judgment was entered in favor of Menorah Chapels.

Needle appealed, and the appellate panel agreed that subtracting the cost of the missing shifts would not be a proper resolution since complete coverage had been expected. The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of Appellate Division of state Superior Court sent the case back to the lower court, where it said a jury could determine if providing a full vigil was a significant condition of the contract.

Queens, NY - Identity Theft At Radio Shack By Employees

Queens, NY - Three former employees of a Radio Shack store in Queens have been charged with stealing the identities of 21 people and making $23,000 in electronic purchases. 

The three people worked for the Radio Shack store in Maspeth, Queens, the victims whose identities were stolen live in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, many live in the Bronx. The district attorney said many of the victims did not learn that credit cards had been taken out in their name until Radio Shack went after them for being delinquent in making payments. He said more arrests are expected.
The defendants have been charged with identity theft, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, forgery, criminal possession of a forged instrument, scheme to defraud, falsifying business records and unlawful possession of personal identification. If convicted, they each face up to seven years in prison.

The district attorney said Radio Shack has reversed all the charges on the 21 fraudulent accounts

New York, NY - TNT Explosions Set For Ground Zero

New York, NY - Powerful explosions will shake Ground Zero on Monday as engineers test the use of charges to clear bedrock for the Freedom Tower's foundation. "This is nothing unusual for New York," said Mel Ruffini, the Freedom Tower's project director at Tishman Construction.

But the project, intended to speed construction, could rattle the nerves of some residents and downtown workers who last heard explosions at Ground Zero on 9/11.
Ruffini said measures are being taken to limit the sound from the blasts. "I've been told we're not expecting anyone as far as Church Street to hear anything," he said.

If the tests are successful, as expected, blasting will be conducted on alternating weekdays for about two months, with three to four explosions each day. The project will save 2,300 hours of drilling and hammering at bedrock and about 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel, Ruffini said.

Miami, FL - Land Tracts Being Sold

Miami, FL - Developer Leviev Boymelgreen, one of the biggest private landowners in Miami, is shedding what amounts to almost half of its South Florida landholdings. In a proposed sale of about 7 acres of downtown Miami land for $89 million was announced. 

The deal raises new questions about the plans of a company that made a splashy entrance into Miami and Miami Beach two years ago, but has struggled to get its projects off the ground since. The company has been beset by construction delays, management turnover and a constant reshuffling of brokerage companies that sell its condo units.

The deal is also a sign of a large landowner cutting down on risk at a time when the market appears to be softening.

Orange County, NY - Chabad Still Feuds Over Who's Boss

Orange County, NY - The touchy question of which Chabad family - the Borensteins or the Burstons - is authorized to run Jewish outreach programs in Orange County on behalf of their Hasidic movement seemed to be settled. Pesach and Chana Burston are the valid representatives, a spokesman for the worldwide organization declared in a story about the Monroe couple in the Sunday Record on May 28.

But that statement has incurred the wrath of the Rabbi Yakov Borenstein and his wife, Hindy - installed as Chabad emissaries in Poughkeepsie 20 years ago - and reopened an ugly internal spat between them and their organization leaders.

The gist is that Chabad leaders say Yakov Borenstein is a renegade and irritant they fired several years ago for outlandish behavior. They drove home the point a week ago with a letter saying Borenstein - along with three other rabbis - can no longer use the Chabad-Lubavitch name.

Borenstein - who has installed his nephew in Goshen to represent Chabad in Orange County - disputes nearly everything his critics say, even that he was ever fired. He claims his attempts to bring the matter to a neutral rabbinical court have been rebuffed. "You can't just tell me, 'Close down your shop,'" Borenstein says, referring to Rabbi Yisroel Rubin, the Chabad regional director in Albany. "He doesn't pay me."

His defense is a 2004 letter from the Beth Din (rabbinical court) of Brooklyn, which prohibits Rubin from appointing emissaries in Orange County and bars the Burstons from settling there until a neutral court rules. Chabad spokesman Zalman Shmotkin replies that the Brooklyn Crown Heights court is a neighborhood panel with no jurisdiction over Chabad.

Brooklyn. NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Flatbush, Brooklyn. NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident in Flatbush section of Brooklyn with a pedestrian that was strucj by an auto on Avenue "M" between East 3rd and East 4th Street's, Hatzolah responding.

New York, NY - Critics Continue To Sound Alarm About Increase In Response Time From Fire Department

New York, NY - Three years after the Fire Department closed six engine companies, critics continue to sound the alarm that the closings have dangerously increased response times to fires and other emergencies.

Four of the closed engine companies were in Brooklyn - 204 in Cobble Hill, 209 in Williamsburg, 212 in Greenpoint and 278 in Sunset Park. Also closed were Engines 36 in East Harlem and 261 in Long Island City, Queens.

The closings "have made our jobs much more difficult," said Capt. Peter Gorman, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. He is set to release data showing significant increases in response times citywide over the past three years - which he blames in part on the closings of the six engine companies on May 25, 2003.

The response time to structural (building) fires in 2002 was "an excellent four minutes and 13 seconds," Gorman noted. But since the closings "the average response time rose to four minutes and 36 seconds by 2005," he said.

Newark, NJ - Body Parts Found In NJ Park Were Those Of Brooklyn Man

Newark, NJ - Body parts discovered earlier this year in a New Jersey park have been identified as belonging to a man that lived in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn NY. Viktor Alekseyeva's mutilated remains were identified through DNA testing, according to Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

A County sheriff's officer discovered the body parts in January while on patrol. The parts -- legs, arms and thighs -- were strewn in four trash bags near an intersection in Maplewood. Soon after the discovery, authorities sent the remains to the State Police Technology Complex in Hamilton for analysis by a forensic anthropologist.

Authorities got a DNA match through samples that the victim's mother, Tamara Alekseyeva of Chelny, Russia, gave them, and it was a saliva sample through a cheek swab from her that provided the match.

The discovery of Alekseyeva's remains were the fifth time in a decade that a body or body parts have been found in the South Mountain Reservation.

Postville, Iowa - Discord Over Diversity Erupts

Postville, Iowa - Growing discord over ethnic diversity in the community has resulted in cancellation of the town's festival. The controversy erupted when City Councilman Jeff Reinhardt wrote a letter to the local newspaper in May 24. In it, Reinhardt addressed diversity in a manner deemed offensive by some residents of the community, which is made up of more than two dozen nationalities.

The controversy increased when the city's entire staff of 13 employees disavowed Reinhardt's remarks in their own letter to the Postville Herald-Leader. In addition, the City Council cut funding for the Visitor's Center. That led to cancellation of the Taste of Postville, which highlights the city's many ethnic heritages.

The town -- population of about 2,300 -- changed significantly in the past 15 years, in large part because of Agriprocessors, a kosher meatpacking plant owned by Orthodox Jews. The company employs about 800 people, predominantly immigrants.

In his letter, Reinhardt said one group of residents "wants to isolate itself, by dressing a little differently, keeping their children out of our public schools and wanting a different day for the Sabbath." He said another group "sends money back to other foreign countries and brings with it a lack of respect for our laws and culture, which contributes to unwed mothers, trash in the streets, unpaid bills, drugs, forgery and other crimes."

New York, NY - Grandmother That Fended Off The Nazis Fights Off A Mugger

New York, NY - Feisty, 86-year-old Elisabeth Rubin fended off the Nazis in Roma during World War II - and yesterday used her walker to fight off a mugger in Midtown. "I was frightened, but I had to fight for my life," said the slightly bruised, 5-foot-1 octogenarian. "I just kept looking around for somebody to help. No one came, so I had to do it myself."

The Romanian-born Rubin, who survived the Nazi occupation, was walking to catch the M20 bus for a doctor's appointment when she stopped to admire watches in a store window at 34th Street and Seventh Avenue. Suddenly, reflected in the window, she saw a middle-aged, mustached man walking up behind her, menacingly holding a wooden sign post.

"I made him room because I could see he was up to something. But he didn't go. He hit me on the right arm as I was holding the walker," she said. Then, in a violent tug of war, the muscular 5-foot-6 suspect tried to wrest away her handbag, which she had strapped to the walker. "Then he grabbed my bag with both of his hands. When he saw I was strong, he kicked the walker away and it fell down. When he did that, I threw away my umbrella and I grabbed my purse."
Then the man bashed her over the head. But she still wasn't ready to let the burly thug get away with her purse - "I only had $5 in my pocket. I don't normally fight for $5 but I still need it when I come from the doctor's office," she said.
The mugger then swiped the bag, and he got even angrier. "Then I grabbed my walker and I tried to get away."
Knowing she couldn't outrun him, Rubin instead stopped to stare him down. "I turned back and looked at him. He only spoke Spanish. He called me puta, and finally I said, 'Puta your mother!' and he started to run."
She didn't want to miss her doctor's appointment, so "calling police was not on my mind."

The senior citizen, who once owned Rubin's Restaurant on 34th Street, was not seriously hurt, even though she has been in fragile health since breaking her hip two years ago.
After Rubin returned home, she called her longtime friend Barbara Datesh, who called 911.

Lakewood, NJ - State Frees Job Link Funds

Lakewood, NJ - The state has released the first check for the township's embattled Job Link program and people couldn't be happier. The money is the first released since nearly $600,000 in Job Link funding was frozen in February after a state audit questioned how the program was run.
But the first check doesn't mean all the questions are answered. "We're still looking at expenditures and projects on a case-by-case basis," said Scott Kisch, chief of staff for the state commerce commission, which oversees New Jersey's Urban Enterprise Zones. "We're looking at areas that were given emphasis in the audit report and it just so happens that many of those pertain to Lakewood." Kisch added the state reviewed each line item in the last invoice sent by Lakewood and felt comfortable approving it.

Rabbi Moshe Zev Weisberg, chairman of the LDC board, told the public the funding spigot was turned on after a resident at a board meeting questioned how long local taxpayers would have to continue paying for programs the state would not. The LDC oversees the local Urban Enterprise Zone and its Job Link program, which works to place people in jobs.

The program's fate had been jeopardized when the audit discovered a series of irregularities, including a vendor who paid himself as a consultant. The vendor, Professional Career Services, is a job placement firm that paid a company named Telemasters Inc. for consulting services. Both agencies are led by Daniel Soloff. Soloff has acknowledged the deal, including $230,000 worth of payments from PCS to Telemasters, but he has not addressed possible conflicts of interest. In a brief e-mail statement Wednesday, Soloff said "Professional Career Services is very pleased to hear that the State has reopened the funding for the local UEZ."

Germany - Jewish Leader Says Ahmadinejad '2nd Hitler'

Germany - The newly elected leader of Germany's main Jewish organization called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a "second Hitler" who should be barred from attending the World Cup in Germany.

Ahmadinejad should not be allowed to set foot on German soil, Charlotte Knobloch said the president of Germany's Central Council of Jews. "For me, this man is a second Hitler," the newly elected leader said. "He denies the Holocaust - that is illegal in Germany. The German government should therefore not protect him with diplomatic immunity. The authorities should rather investigate him and charge him."

Brooklyn, NY - Ones More Abductor Tries To Lure Girls Into His Car Yesterday

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY - Cops are looking into another attempted abduction yesterday after a man tried to lure a group of teenage girls into his car, around 4 p.m. near the New Utrecht Avenue subway station on the N line in Borough Park. The girls ran into the station and told a cop patrolling the platform. But the man had fled, and no arrests were made.

Meanwhile, the 9-year- old Brooklyn girl who was the victim of an attempted abduction returned to school yesterday, hours before cops charged her alleged attacker. "She wanted to go to school," said the girl's mother. "She's fine."

Her attacker, Elfego Herrera, 41, tried to grab the youngster and then exposed himself, cops said. The incident took place at 7 p.m. Monday at 10th Avenue and 56th Street in Borough Park. The girl not only got away, but also had the presence of mind to look at his license plate and remember the number. Cops traced it, and picked up Herrera at his home. "She's very mature for her age," the girl's proud mother said.

Herrera was charged with child endangerment and public lewdness. Cops questioned Herrera in connection with four similar kidnap attempts that terrified the same neighborhood. Previous victims, however, failed to pick him out of a line-up. Herrera was arraigned last night and freed without bail.

Guilford, NY - Delivery Man Admits Swallowing Diamond Ring

Guilford, NY - Police are waiting to collect the evidence in the case of a furniture delivery man who gulped down a diamond ring. One official with the Chenango County Sheriff's Department says they'll get the ring, "when nature takes its course."

The waiting game began after 35-year-old Michael Kuchinski of Binghamton admitted he swallowed the ring, worth about $1,000, after he saw it on a bedroom dresser. Sheriff's deputies took the man to the hospital in Norwich, where doctors used an X-ray to determine he wouldn't be harmed as a result of ingesting the ring. Kuchinski then was admitted to the hospital after he said he felt ill.

Kuchinski was charged with larceny and criminal tampering for delaying the recovery of the ring.

New York - State Mulls Background Check For Yeshivas

New York - The New York State Legislature is considering a bill that would permit private schools to conduct background checks on prospective employees, giving yeshivas, and other private institutions an opportunity to weed out convicted offenders before they are hired.

The bill is similar to legislation that was enacted in 2000, which now requires all the state’s public schools to fingerprint job candidates. “This bill mirrors the law for public schools, which has proven effective,” said Thomas Dunham, a spokesman for Sen. Dean Skelos (R- Rockville Centre), one of the bill’s sponsors. But unlike the law affecting public schools, the private schools law would allow institutions to opt out of running checks on prospective teachers, janitors and other school employees.

The call for legislation to keep offenders out of private schools comes in the wake of recent allegations that a yeshiva in Flatbush, Brooklyn, harbored an offender for decades. The allegations have generated a heated debate within the Jewish community about how the leadership can better protect Jewish students.

If the bill is passed, New York’s private schools would be allowed to run checks on prospective employees through the FBI’s national criminal background check system, allowing employers to learn whether a job candidate has ever been convicted of abuse, or any other crime, anywhere in the nation. In addition, legislators are currently working to amend the bill so that the new law, like the 2000 law concerning public schools, would require private schools to report allegations of abuse to the authorities.

Members of the Senate and Assembly say that the bill could come up for a vote sometime before the legislative session ends later this month.

Washington, DC - Car Thieves Target Cadillac Escalade

Washington, DC - The Cadillac Escalade, the bold and shiny luxury sport utility vehicle popular with Hollywood's A-List, rappers and star athletes, apparently also attracts an ill-intentioned constituency: car thieves.

Escalades had the highest rate of insurance theft claims for the fourth straight year, according to a study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Escalade was followed by the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and the Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab pickup.

The Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the insurance institute, noted the Escalade offers plenty of eye candy to tempt thieves, from chromed wheels and leather seats. Not to mention a marketing campaign that links the Escalade to the hip and trendy.

Israel - Moslems Upset by Jewish Land Purchases in Jerusalem

Israel - Sheikh Raad Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in Israel and Hamas supporter, a long-time enemy of Israel, called upon Arabs to continue their efforts to conquer Jerusalem. "We have to start a worldwide Islamic-Arab fund with the purpose of saving Jerusalem before it is lost to us." "The battle for Jerusalem does not involve tanks or artillery," Salah said. "Instead, the various Zionist institutions have employed a low and detestable style, with the support of American forces and other Western forces. These institutions work to collect billions of dollars, trying to put their hands, like pirates, on every cubit of the exalted land of Jerusalem, and on every home and every store and every market and every neighborhood and every holy part. This is, most unfortunately, what is happening night and day."

A small number of Jewish organizations, are dedicated to purchasing lands - usually Jewish-owned but, of late, Arab-occupied - from Arabs in Jerusalem.

Manischewitz Kosher Cook-Off To Win Grand Prize

Manischewitz is doing a Kosher Cook-Off and the winner award with a grand prize.

An original kosher recipe of no more than eight ingredients, one of which must be a Manischewitz product is the test, and the grand prize is $20,000. the deadline is Sept. 15 for mail entries mail to: Simply Manischewitz Cook-off, c/o "Cooking Light," Time & Life Building, 20th Floor, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

New York, NY - Asrah Kadisha Plan Prayer Vigil In Front Of Lithuanian Consulate

New York, NY - A prayer vigil by Asrah Kadisha, will take place on Thursday, June 8 at 2:30 p.m. in front of the Lithuanian Consulate, located at 420 Fifth Ave. on the corner of 37th Street.

A spokesperson for Asrah Kadisha, explained that the prayer vigil is intended as "a cry from the heart" of the Jewish community seeking to avoid continuous desecration of an ancient Jewish cemetery in Vilnius, Lithuania. The organization hopes to reach out to the broad masses of Lithuanian citizens who understand the pain and anguish felt as their forefathers’ graves are excavated and their remains are thrown away.
The organization also hopes that a message will reach Lithuania officials, reminding them of the respect for the dignity of the dead which is the mark of all civilized nations.

New York - Former State Prison Imam Pleads Guilty To Gun Charge

New York - The former head Islamic chaplain for the state prison system pleaded guilty to charges he had weapons in his apartment and accused the government of using the case as an excuse to raid his home to search for terrorism-related materials.

The cleric, Warith Deen Umar, admitted he had the guns in a Bronx building he owns when he called police to the building in late December after a dispute with one of his tenants.
The government charged Umar with gun possession. Outside court, he criticized law enforcement for conducting extensive searches of his Bronx apartment and his Glenmont, N.Y., home. A search warrant said authorities were looking for notes, memos, correspondence and periodicals making reference to "holy war," "jihad," or acts of violence against Jews, U.S. military service personnel."
"I feel like they are persecuting me because I'm Muslim and I'm black and I speak out and because I was the Muslim chaplain in the state prison system for 25 years," he said. "They trashed the place," Umar said.

Umar made headlines in February 2003 after a Wall Street Journal article quoted him as saying "even Muslims who say they are against terrorism secretly admire and applaud" the hijackers. Ron Kuby, Umar's lawyer, said his client was misquoted.

Government spokeswoman Heather Tasker said she had no comment on the case.

Albany, NY - Study Targets Pataki For Lack Of Housing Opportunities

Albany, NY - A new report is critical of Governor Pataki's performance on housing issues. The report, by the Pratt Center for Community Development, says that state agency's that's supposed to finance affordable housing has instead provided most of its money to developers building luxury homes.

According to the study, from 2000 to 2005, only about 6,000 out of nearly 13,000 units built with funding from the state Housing Finance Agency were deemed "affordable'' by the Pratt Center. Most of the units were in Manhattan. The report says Pataki tried to cut housing funding, failed to address the problems of abandoned and blighted neighborhoods in upstate cities and steered bond funding to Republican campaign donors.

Freehold, NJ - Dwek Uncle Says Bank May Have Suspected Fraud In Land Purchases

Freehold, NJ - HSBC Bank had "serious concerns'' about properties Solomon Dwek was claiming to buy, according to an uncle who had taken out a $25 million loan from the bank for the purchases.

Joseph Dwek, 54, of Brooklyn, made the claim in legal papers filed in Superior Court saying he was defrauded by Solomon Dwek. He said that he borrowed a total of $43 million from HSBC and gave it to Dwek, 33 of Ocean Township, in the second half of 2005 to invest in properties in and around Monmouth County. An HSBC spokesman could not be reached for comment. Joseph Dwek said in April that HSBC raised "serious concerns'' about the properties, noting that there were discrepancies on the addresses Solomon Dwek said he was planning to buy. ""HSBC suggested there may have been fraudulent activity,'' Joseph Dwek stated in the court papers.

The uncle said he did not know until a short time later that none of the purchased properties was placed in his name. Solomon Dwek held all the properties either in his own name or through corporations, Joseph Dwek stated. Joseph Dwek's court statement was made to refute allegations by PNC Bank, which is suing Solomon Dwek for $21 million, that the transfers were fraudulent.

Tunis, Tunisia - Court Convicts Accomplice In Deadly 2002 Suicide Attack On Synagogue

Tunis, Tunisia - A 44-year-old man was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for aiding an al-Qaida-linked suicide bombing attack on a historic synagogue that killed 21 people.
The Tunis court handed down this country's first conviction in the case to Belgacem Nawar, the uncle of Nizar Nawar, who rammed a gas-laden truck into the synagogue on the Tunisian resort island of Djerba in April 2002, which killed 14 Germans, five Tunisians and two French citizens.
Nawar, a welder who allegedly helped his nephew put a gas tank on the truck, had pleaded innocent to charges of complicity in murder and making explosive devices.
He could have faced the death penalty. His lawyers abruptly left the courtroom before the verdict to protest what they called an unfair and hasty trial.

Nawar acknowledged having helped his nephew buy the tanker truck, but said he had no idea what his relative planned to do with it or the modifications he would make to the vehicle. "I am in no way involved in this attack. I am innocent," he said before the verdict.

The only other convictions in the Djerba case came last month in Spain, where the National Court sentenced a Spaniard and a Pakistani to five years in prison for helping finance the attack.

Brooklyn, NY - Rabbis Say Private Ritual Baths Like One in Explosion Are Rare

Brooklyn, NY - For years, Orthodox communities in New York and elsewhere have worked to revive the Jewish ritual of bathing in small pools known as mikvahs, building ever more elegant and comfortable versions to attract patrons accustomed to the gleaming Jacuzzis of spas, clubs and resorts.

Usually taken by married women, the baths are typically housed in free-standing buildings or are next to a synagogue.
But private mikvahs, like the one engulfed by an explosion in a south Brooklyn basement on Tuesday, are rare, several rabbis and Jewish community leaders said. "It's an expensive undertaking, so not many people have the room for one or the interest," said Rabbi Kastel of Crown Heights. "you're talking in the tens of thousands of dollars."

Rabbi Kastel said that there were less than a dozen public mikvahs in Crown Heights, and only one or two private ones that he was aware of.

"Private baths are a luxury, but not unheard of," said Rabbi Avi Shafran of the Agudath Israel. "A rabbi with knowledge of mikvahs would have to oversee construction," he said. "But any capable architect would be able to do it."

Baghdad, Iraq +Al-Zarqawi Killed+

Baghdad, Iraq +Al-Zarqawi Killed+ Terror Chief from Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and seven aids were killed in an American precision air raid bombing attack on an isolated safe house in Diyala, 30 miles northeast of Baghdad.

The top U.S. general in Iraq says al-Zarqawi's body has been identified by fingerprints and facial recognition.

U/D: 07:41
President Bush has hailed the killing of a leading al-Qaida terrorist by military forces in Iraq.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Power Outage+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Power Outage+ Lots of street lights in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn on Lee Avenue and Bedford Avenue and the cross streets, were out for a short time.

U/D: 23:25
All lights are back on.

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY +Child Struck+

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY +Child Struck+ A motor vehicle accident in Shopping Center on Forest Road near Quickway Road, with a child that was struck by an auto, Hatzolah of Kiryas Yoel is transporting the child by ground with ALS on board to Hackensack Hospital Trauma Center, Medevac is down due to the weather.

Brooklyn, NY +Homeless Man Charged In Massive 10 Alarm Fire+

Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY - A 59-year-old homeless man was taken into custody and charged in connection with the massive 10 alarm fire that destroyed a warehouse complex in Brooklyn.

Investigators were looking into whether the man and a group of other homeless men set the fire on May 2 while trying to steal copper wire from inside the building.
Investigators said they believed the men might have been attempting to burn the insulation off the copper, which may have been what caused the massive fire.

The man was being questioned by members of the New York City police and fire departments and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Also the owner of the warehouse Joshua Guttman, was served today with criminal environmental charges. The Brooklyn DA has charged Joshua Guttman and his son, Jack Guttman, with 434 counts of failure to maintain privately owned waterfront property where the Greenpoint Warehouses stood.

That's one count for each day they allegedly failed to make repairs to deteriorating piers and bulkheads after being ordered by the city to do so. They face up to $5,000 in fines for each misdemeanor, or more than $2 million total.

Brooklyn, NY +Possible Abduction Again+

Brooklyn, NY +Possible Abduction Again+ NYPD are calling for a level one mobilization for a poss abduction of a 12-year-old child at New Utrecht Avenue and 62nd Street, PD looking for a gray Astro minivan plate # DHU-5361.

London - Man Sought On New York Terror Charges Arrested

London - A man from Queens, NY wanted in the United States on a charge of receiving military gear for terrorist purposes faces a court appearance in London. Syed Hashmi, 26, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Extradition Unit at Heathrow airport.

A U.S. extradition warrant alleges that between Jan. 1, 2004 and March 1, 2004 he received property intending that it be used for terrorism. He was indicted last month by a U.S. grand jury in the southern district of New York.

Kiryas Joel, NY +Major Power Outage+

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY +Major Power Outage+ A major power outage for the whole Village of Kiryas Joel, Village of Monroe and Town of Monroe, EMS, FD and KJ Hatzolah are all on standby.

Orange and Rockland Utility Co is mobilizing with the Fire Departments, 8500 customers are with out power, cause of failure is unknown and will be invastigated, failure is at a Monroe substation, their estimated time for power to be restores is about 1530 hours.

U/D: 15:06
Power is back.

Charleston, SC - Rabbi Arrested Passed Shabbos For Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia

Charleston, SC - Rabbi Chezi Zionce, the former leader of Synagogue Emanu-El in West Ashley, was arrested Shabbos morning and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, when two Charleston police officers found Zionce at 8:10 a.m. on Lee Street in the city's East Side neighborhood.

The arrest came a month after Zionce, 48, left his rabbi post at the synagogue for unexplained reasons.Two weeks ago, synagogue administrator Abby Levine said that Zionce was no longer employed there but would not elaborate on the circumstances of his departure.

One member at Emanu-El, George Breibart, said that before leaving for good, the rabbi had stopped going to meetings and often wasn't in his office. "He didn't come some Fridays. He didn't come some Saturdays," Breibart said.

Zionce was released on his own recognizance without bail, a municipal court administrator said. Zionce couldn't be reached for comment, and Lila Sarick, Zionce's wife, would not comment on the matter.

New York, NY - City Might Have To Install A Water Filtration System

New York, NY - A waiver avoidance for the filtration of New York City's water system, expires next year.

At a US EPA and state Health Department public hearing at Belleayre Mountain, State Senator John Bonacic said, more conditions should be placed on the table in order for a conditional waiver to be approved when it expires next year.

Without the waiver to filter its water system flowing through the Catskills, the City of New York could be hit with an $8-$10 million bill to install a filtration system.

Brooklyn, NY - Man Arrested For Indecent Exposure

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY - The NYPD last night busted a pervert who tried to lure a 9-year-old girl into a car, at about 7 p.m. Monday at 10th Avenue and 56th Street in Borough Park section of Brooklyn, NY.

Elfego Herrera, 41, allegedly tried to grab the youngster and then exposed himself - but she not only got away, but had the presence of mind to look at his license plate and remember the number.
Police traced it and picked up Herrera at his home, cops also questioned Herrera in connection with four similar kidnap bids that have terrified the same neighborhood.

He was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and public lewdness.

U/D: 12:38
Police sources now say, that he has nothing to do with the other previous cases.

Brooklyn, NY +Hatzolah Member Involved In MVA+

Brooklyn, NY +Hatzolah Member Involved In MVA+ A motor vehicle accident involving an Hatzolah member on 59th Street and Bay Parkway, Hatzolah responding.

U/D: 12:33
Hatzolah on the scene requesting 2 ambulances.

Brooklyn, NY +Heavy Traffic on Gowanus Expressway+

Brooklyn, NY +Heavy Traffic on Gowanus Expressway+ PD and EMS on the scene of the inbound of the Gowanus Expressway at the 3rd Avenue Exit, where a tractor trailer t-boned a car with some injured, only the left lane is getting by, delays are all the way back to the Verrazano Bridge.

Zholkva, Ukraine - U.S. To Help Fund Synagogue

Zholkva, Ukraine - A historic synagogue will be restored with help from the U.S. government. Upon completion of the restoration works, funded with money from the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, the medieval synagogue will house a center for Jewish culture.
The restoration project also includes the opening of a memorial Jewish cemetery in the town, once a thriving Jewish center of the region formerly known as Galicia.

The commission is a government agency involved in identifying and protecting cultural properties throughout Europe that are of relevance to American heritage.

Berlin, Germany - Hitler's Berlin Bunker To Be Marked With Sign

Berlin, Germany - The bunker in which Adolf Hitler committed suicide in 1945 will be marked with an information sign for the first time ever, a private group is organizing the plaque.

Up until now the Berlin bunker's location has not been identified due to fears it could become a site of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis. This has led to confusion among many normal tourists who search for the site in central Berlin close to the Brandenburg Gate and the newly opened Holocaust memorial.

A group which org anises tours of World War II bunkers and other subterranean historic sites in Berlin said it would unveil a sign at the site in both German and English.

New York, NY - City Plans To Roll Out The Red Carpet For Bus Lane

New York, NY - Bus Rapid Transit, a long-discussed proposal to give buses color-coded lanes, inched forward as the MTA and the city's Department of Transportation began a series of public forums.

Among the routes under discussion are First and Second avenues in Manhattan, Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn and Union Turnpike in Queens.
Proposals include painting bus lanes red, having traffic signals turn green as buses approach intersections, and even payment before boarding.

Thompson, NY - Redevelopment Presented For Concord Hotel Property

Thompson, NY - A Westchester development company unveiled plans to build a new hotel resort at the site of the Concord Hotel to Town of Thompson planning and town board officials, telling them that they are ready to begin digging as soon as they get the thumbs up.

Cappelli Enterprises of Valhalla presented their 10-year, multi-million dollar project’s site plans to Thompson officials, and told them that they could have the proper permits to begin landscaping as soon as fall of this year, pending town planning board approval.
The developer proposed a new hotel resort on the more than 1,700 acre piece of property just north of State Route 17 and east of State Route 42.

Its expected components include a new 1,500 room hotel lodge/spa, a new clubhouse, 200,000 square feet of convention space, 3,000 year-round and seasonal residential units, over 600,000 square feet of retail space, and two championship golf courses. Over 600 acres – more than a third of the site will be designated open green space.

Town of Thompson Supervisor Anthony Cellini seemed extremely optimistic of the project, stating that the economic impact it will have on the Sullivan County town will be invaluable.

Queens, NY +E/B L.I.E. at Woodhaven Blvd. Traffic Alert+

Queens, NY +E/B L.I.E. at Woodhaven Blvd. Traffic Alert+ A disabled truck is currently blocking two lanes on the eastbound of the L.I.E. at Woodhaven Blvd, NYPD and tow are on the scene and advising truck needs to be off-loaded and this will be a prolonged cleanup, heavu delays building in the area.

Washington, DC - CIA Covered Up Nazi War Criminals During Cold War

Washington, DC - Determined to win the Cold War, the CIA kept quiet about the whereabouts of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in the 1950s for fear he might expose undercover anticommunist efforts in West Germany, according to new documents released.

In a March 19, 1958, memo to the CIA, West German intelligence officials wrote that they knew where Eichmann was hiding. "He is reported to have lived in Argentina under the alias 'Clemens' since 1952," authorities wrote.
But neither side acted on that information because they worried what he might say about Hans Globke, a highly placed former Nazi and a chief adviser in West Germany helping the U.S. coordinate anticommunist initiatives in that country.

The documents were among the latest released under a 1999 law -- resisted by the CIA -- that called for disclosure of government records related to war crimes committed by the Nazi and Japanese governments.
Material relating to Japanese war crimes were scheduled to be released later this summer.

Washington, DC - Experts warn of internal US terror threat

Washington, DC - With the recent arrests of terror suspects in Canada, there's a renewed focus on securing America's borders. But an FBI official warns the next threat to the U.S. could come from within.

Joseph Billy is the acting assistant director of the bureau's counterterrorism division. He warns of a possible "lone wolf" or maybe small groups of people, working inside the country, planning a terrorist act.

Brooklyn, NY +Perp Search In Boro Park+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Perp Search+ NYPD of the 62nd Pct are looking for two male blacks in the rear yards of 59th Street and 14th Avenue, ESU, K-9 and Aviation are all working and searching for them, perps are wanted for a 10-30 (hold-up).

Croatia - Neo-Nazis Attack Chief Rabbi

Croatia - A group of neo-Nazis assaulted Croatia's Chief Rabbi Eliezer Aloni on a Zagreb street outside the synagogue.

Aloni was on his way home from synagogue when a bunch of men wearing shirts with swastikas printed on them yelled "Jews out!" in German at him. Witnesses say the men pushed the rabbi over after he asked them if they knew the meaning of what they were shouting. Eliezer took refuge in the Jewish community building and informed the local police.

It was the third anti-Semitic incident to have taken place in the country within a week, a group of men wearing shirts of the pro-Nazi militia that governed Croatia during World War II attacked a memorial service honoring local Jews murdered by Nazis and their allies, also the Jewish community's offices received a phone call by an anonymous caller who threatened to assist Hamas to blow up the community's buildings.

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on East 17th Street and Avenue "J", Hatzolah on the scene requesting Medics and back up on a rush for aided thats in serious condition.

Brooklyn, NY +Level One For Attempted Abduction+

Brooklyn, NY +Level One For Attempted Abduction+ NYPD calling for a level one mobilization for an attemped abduction at 1616 64th Street and 16th Avenue in Brooklyn, Aviation on the scene and Borough Park Shomrim Patrol are looking for a male white 7 feet tall with a red T-shirt that was attempting to abduct a 4-year-old boy trying to take him away off his bike, he then fled on foot on 16th Avenue towards 63rd Street.

New York, NY - NYPD Is Smelling For Liars

New York, NY - They're nearly one dozen newly trained detectives skilled in administering "lie detector" exams - tests given to several hundred witnesses and criminal suspects. Six of the new experts are members of the NYPD Major Case Squad who were trained last fall to become experts in smelling a lie.

NYPD Deputy Chief Jeremiah Quinlan, who heads the Special Investigations Division, said the push to train new NYPD polygraph experts began last July. So far, he said, exam results have been interesting.

"We knew one guy who failed," Quinlan recalled with a laugh, "after he tried to disconnect the machine when the polygraph examiner momentarily left the room."

Polygraphs are administered to "subjects" - people who may later emerge as criminal suspects - or witnesses whose credibility remains in doubt. It can be given only to someone who volunteers to take it - and is never given to sex-crime victims, pregnant women or people with heart conditions.

France - Fined For Wartime Transport Of Jews

France - A French court ordered the state and railway operator SNCF to pay fines for their role in the deportation of Jews during World War Two, a lawyer for the SNCF said. Alain Lipietz, a Greens European Parliament deputy, and his sister Helene had sued SNCF for transporting their father and three relatives to a wartime transit camp that sent Jews off to Nazi concentration camps.

The French state could not have been unaware that transportation to the Drancy transit camp near Paris was a "prelude to deportation" to concentration camps, lawyer Yves Baudelot quoted the judges as saying. The SNCF and the French state were ordered to pay total fines of some 60,000 euros ($77,000) to the plaintiffs.

"I'm amazed by the ruling. I can't understand it," Baudelot said, adding the railway could not be held responsible for the transportation because it had been forced to cooperate with German occupying forces during the war. "The SNCF had no liberty of manoeuvre. The (Nazis) told the SNCF by letter that they had to do everything the German authorities wanted, and if someone refused, they would be shot," He said.

Baudelot said his client would appeal against the verdict.

Brooklyn, NY - DOT Plans For More Bike Lanes

Brooklyn, NY - The New York City Department of Transportation announced plans are in the works for 5 miles of new bicycle lanes.
The new lanes will connect Prospect Park and the Dean and Bergen street lanes in Crown Heights and Prospect Heights to the Manhattan Bridge, the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Fort Greene Park.

The details of the plan will be presented at the Community board 2 meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14. The meeting will be held at Pratt Institute's Higgins Hall Auditorium at 65 St. James Place.

New York - OU Introduces Kashrust Website

The Kosher Division of the Orthodox Union has created a website geared towards professionals in the field, to provide insights into the increasingly complex and changing field of kashrut certification.

The new website utilizes the resources of the entire OU Kosher Division, including its 50 Rabbinic Coordinators, based at OU's New York headquarters, and its two poskim, or halachic (Jewish law) decision makers, as well as hundreds of OU Rabbinic Field Representatives all over the world.

"This website is a monumental achievement and a valuable resource,” declared Rabbi Menachem Genack, Chief Executive Officer of the OU Kosher Division. “The OU is the industry leader in the world of kashrus. We work with other kashrus agencies and local rabbinic councils to raise the standards of kashrus in America and throughout the world.

Lakewood NJ +Route 9 Traffic Alert+

Lakewood NJ +Route 9 Traffic Alert+ All traffic lights along Route 9 are out, at the entire length of Lakewood, expect delays through out the area.

Kochi, Kerala - Cochin Synagogue Implements Strict Dress Code

Kochi, Kerala - A new dress code for visitors at the 16th century Cochin Synagogue, the only functional synagogue in Kerala, has forced some foreign tourists to return disappointed without seeing it.

The dress code, enforced from April 27, requires men to wear full shirts and trousers and women to sport long skirts well below the knee. 'This is a religious place and the Jewish congregation that owns the synagogue was upset when they saw tourists wearing dresses which should not be worn in religious places. So we decided to enforce the code strictly,' Samuel Hallegua, the 75-year-old warden of the monument, said.

The synagogue, built in 1568, is popular with foreign tourists. An estimated 50,000 tourists visit it every year.

'The new dress code causes a lot of problems because most foreign tourists prefer to wear shorts due to the heat,' said M.C. Rajan, president of the Kerala Guides Association. Last month, two British tourists were prevented from entering the synagogue due to the dress code. 'Following a complaint to the district authorities by my clients, the district collector ordered an inquiry into the episode,' said Rajan. However, Hallegua says they would stick to the code.

Albany, NY - Call To Add 211 For Social Services

Albany, NY - Call 911 for the cops, 411 for directory assistance and - soon - 211 for answers about your state's social services. In 38 states, 211 offers information about elder care, drug abuse, welfare and other issues.

"New York has a very rich infrastructure of services. It's finding those services when people need them that's the barrier," said Susan Hager, president of the United Way of New York State and co-chair of the 211 New York State Collaborative.

Officials say a statewide 211 should be available, confidentially and 24 hours a day, in a few years. It's already in use in the Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley regions.

Monsey, NY +Child Struck+

Monsey, NY +Child Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a child that was struck on 93 Francis Place with serious injuries, Hatzolah requesting ALS on a rush.

Brooklyn, NY +Explosion And Fire+

Brooklyn, NY +Explosion And Fire While Installing A Mikvah With Out A Permit+ Hatzolah requested and ALS on a rush to 1166 East 31st Street between Avenue's "K" and "L" Fire department Rescue and Squad also responding for this fire which is in the rear in the basement of this 3 story frame 30x60 private dwelling.

U/D: 11:53
Fire is D/W/H, one 10-45 Code-1 (DOA) and three 10-45 Code 3's (Critical Burns) reported transported by Hatzolah to local hospital. Hatzolah sending more units to the scene.

U?D: 12:13
Fire is P/W/H, Fire Department requesting Fire marshal to the scene.

U/D: 12:33
Fire is K/D, requesting Building Department to check the structure of the house, due to the bldg. being blown out.

U/D: 12:46
NYPD from the 70th Pct are calling for a level one mobilization for the large crowd at the fatal fire scene.

U/D: 13:21
Hazmat-1 has been requested to assist with the Fire Marshal, Esu to respond to secure the wall and the Bomo Squad was also notified.

U/D:
The two people killed were construction workers , and they were attempting to waterproof a basement to install a Mikvah (a Jewish ritual bath). and the explosian was caused by using a type of epoxy sealant that apparently was flammable, when one of the workers turned on a power tool, it caused the explosion, which blew out a wall on the first floor of the house.

The victims' names were not immediately released. The two who survived the explosion, were hospitalized with burns on about 85 percent of their bodies.
City officials said the homeowners did not have a permit to install the mikvah, which is used by Orthodox Jews in a purification ritual.

Five firefighters suffered minor injuries in battling the resulting blaze.

Spring Valley, NY +Bear On Top Of Tree+

Spring Valley, NY +Bear On Top Of Tree+ A bear that was spotted first by pedestrians on the street on Kearsing Parkway and Jill Lane, in Monsey, NY. Has climbed up and is staying on top of a tree, Ramapo PD are on the scene requesting Animal Control units to respond with tranquilizers.

U/D: 12:41
Tranquilizer Team arrived

U/D: 13:11
A DEC officer is coming from Albany and is expected to be on the scene by the early afternoon.

New York +Weld Droping Out Of Race For Governor+

New York - Republican Bill Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts, has decided to drop out of the race for governor of New York.

Brooklyn, NY - Broken Promises Haunt Williamsburg Developments

Brooklyn, NY - More than a year after the city rezoned waterfront property in Williamsburg and Greenpoint for luxury high-rise developments, it still hasn't made good on promises it made to the community.

As part of the sweeping plan to turn the industrial ground into parkland and condominiums, the Bloomberg administration and the City Council pledged to set up an advisory committee to oversee the transformation, and earmarked millions of dollars to help displaced small businesses and tenants.

Yet the committee hasn't been created. Only a fraction of the $4 million to help businesses relocate has been approved. And the $2 million to fight illegal convictions has not materialized.

Despite repeated board requests to Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff and the City Council, the advisory committee's members have not been finalized.

Councilman David Yassky's office, which represents the waterfront, said it does not know the reason for the delay. Yassky's office said it submitted its list of appointees to the committee like other elected officials but has heard nothing since. "It is certainly essential that we have a committee that is ready to serve as soon as possible," said Even Thies, the councilman's spokesman.

Bnei Brak, Israel - Shopping Center Designed For Ultra-Orthodox Jews

Bnei Brak, Israel - Tucked inconspicuously on a busy street in the middle of one of Israel's poorest cities is a shopping mall like no other. Men are barred from the top floor. There's no cafe for socializing. The department store's lingerie section is hidden behind curtains.

Welcome to Shopping Bnei Brak, a first-of-its-kind shopping center that caters to Israel's ultra-Orthodox community. Members' adherence to strict Jewish law.
The mall is an experiment between influential rabbis and Israel's largest department store chain to see if strict Jewish religious rules can be balanced with capitalist consumerism. "The store talks to the people in another language," said Israel Goldberg, an expert in marketing to Israel's ultra-Orthodox citizens who's working on the project with the Hamashbir department store chain. "It looks so weird - the concept - to America."

Everything - from the shape of perfume bottles to the types of stores in the mall - goes through a strict screening process. The rabbis insisted that the mall have no cafe or restaurant where men and women might mingle. They dismissed talk of a movie theater. They even insisted that the word "mall" not be part of the name because "a mall reminds them of something too modern," Goldberg said.

The Hamashbir store, which anchors the mall, features a line of modest clothing designed for the ultra-Orthodox and a women-only section reached by the sole escalator in this city of 160,000, northeast of Tel Aviv. White curtains conceal the entrance to the lingerie section, and strategically placed white stickers cover the alluring models on pantyhose packages, there are no mannequins and most certainly no ads featuring scantily clad women.

But even among some of the ultra Orthodox, the mall may have gone too far. "Some ultra-Orthodox women don't like it," saleswoman Nellie Bar Oz, 21, said of the women-only section. "They want to consult with their husbands, so they go down and show them things and then come back up." The store is considering setting special hours when men would be allowed upstairs or creating a space where husbands could wait and consult with their wives.

On a recent morning, Rivka Lev drove a half-hour from her Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank for a shopping excursion at the new mall with her mother and twin daughters. "It's fun," Lev said. "If there were a mall like this in the West Bank, it would be great. Sometimes it's better to go shopping without the men - you feel more free."

Lakewood, NJ - Prosecutor Concluded Assault On Trespasser Was Not A Bias Crime

Lakewood, NJ - The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office has reviewed the investigation of a local man accused of assaulting a 15-year-old boy and has found that township police acted correctly in not filing bias crime charges. Elchonon Zimmerman, 43, remains charged with simple assault, authorities said.

The prosecutor's statement was in response to the Ocean County/Lakewood chapter of the NAACP's contention that the incident constitutes a bias crime.
According to the NAACP, a group of white, wearing attire typical of Orthodox Jews, gathered around the boy, who is black and was trespassing on Mr. Zimmerman's property, was uttered racial slurs. They also said he did not belong in a predominantly Jewish section of Lakewood, the boy's family has said.

In a three-paragraph statement, county Prosecutor Thomas F. Kelaher said that "although racist statements were apparently made by unknown parties in a crowd that formed, these statements would not elevate the incident to a bias crime as to the conduct of Elchonon Zimmerman.''

Thompson, NY - Bungalows On Hit List

Thompson, NY - The town has drawn up a proposed law that would force the colonies to build new bungalows on full foundation slabs, a move designed to rid the town of seasonal dwellings built on piers.

Bungalows have dotted Thompson's landscape for more than 100 years, and passions have run high on both sides of this issue. "We want everything up to state code," Supervisor Tony Cellini said. "Some are right next to each other. If one caught on fire, they would burn the whole colony."

The board will introduce the law at its regular meeting tonight and likely schedule a public hearing the same night.

Some proposed changes include:

* No bungalows, including existing bungalows, can be within 25 feet of each other.

* In most cases, the owner will be required to put down a foundation when adding new rooms.

* An appropriate number of trash compactors must be installed and enclosed by a suitable structure and a gate.

The town has a building ban in place at the colonies, but has recently started granting permits to some owners who agree to comply with the proposed regulations, Cellini said. "They (bungalow owners) know we are doing it for their safety and aesthetics," Cellini said.

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Raising Taxes

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Extricating itself from the Monroe Free Library has forced Kiryas Joel to raise its tax rate for the first time in nine years.

Every year since 1997, the village tax rate has been $14.14 per $1,000 of assessed value, an impressive budgeting feat for a community with expanding services and a litany of big-ticket building projects, including a $14.5 million sewage treatment plant.
But the streak has finally ended. This year, the village tacked another $2.18 onto its tax rate to pay off a debt to Monroe and continue planning its latest public enterprise: a library.

Last year, Kiryas Joel severed ties with the Monroe library because the Hasidic community's leaders thought it was unfair for their citizens to pay taxes for a facility few of them use. They proposed creating a library in Kiryas Joel that would include materials in Hebrew and Yiddish, the primary language spoken in homes in the village. In return for being removed from the Monroe Library District, Kiryas Joel agreed to pay Monroe $150,000 to lessen the resulting tax increase for property owners in the rest of the town.
The village's new budget earmarks $210,000 for library purposes, of which $150,000 will go to Monroe. The remaining $60,000 is set aside for unspecified "general expenses."
The Kiryas Joel library remains little more than a concept. No site has been chosen yet.

Kiryas Joel's rare tax increase comes to $87.20 for the owner of a home assessed at $40,000. But it might be an increase on paper only, because the apparent rise is offset by the decrease in town taxes that came with leaving the Monroe library.

Manhattan, NY +S/B West Side Highway Traffic Alert+

Manhattan, NY +S/B West Side Highway Traffic Alert+ A motor vehicle accident between two vehicles and a motorcycle on the southbound of the West Side Highway and 125th Street blocking right and center lanes, delays are all the way on to the George Washington Bridge, PD on the scene requesting EMS for some that are injured.

Queens, NY +N/B B.Q.E. Overturned T/T+

Queens, NY +E/B B.Q.E. Overturned T/T+ A overturned 18 wheeler tractor trailer on the eastbound of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway at Roosevelt Avenue all services are on the scene working on the overturned truck that is on its side blocking the two right lanes and carrying 43,000 pounds of construction materials, heavy delays expected.

U/D: 07:13
NYPD Highway units reporting no entrapment or serious injuries, requesting Sanitation to assist.

U/D: 07:59
All lanes are closed.

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY +Water Rescue+

Kiryas Yoel, Monroe, NY +Water Rescue+ Hatzolah on the scene and requesting KJ Fire Department on a rush for a confirmed person that jumped into the Coronet Lake on Acres Road at the corner of Israel Zupick Drive near Bakertown Road.

U/D: 23:31
Victim has been rescued by Kiryas Joel Fire Department, aided is not in likely condition but is unconscious, he is being transported by Hatzolah to Hackensack Hospital.

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on Ocean Parkway and Avenue "R" Hatzolah on the scene requesting additional units to respond.

Brooklyn, NY +Stabbing In Williamsburg+

Brooklyn, NY +Stabbing In Williamsburg+ Three males where involved in a stabbing at 58 South 9th and Berry Streets, NYPD from the 90th Pct are requesting ESU for the serious assault, male is in likely condition FDNY EMS responding.

Monsey, NY - Doctor's License Revoked

Monsey, NY - The New York State Department of Health has permanently revoked the medical license of a Monsey physician.

The state Office of Professional Medical Conduct held a hearing on the license of Paul S. Sender. The board concluded that it "has no confidence in his ability to practice medicine safely and must protect the people of New York State from him."

The ruling was made May 30 and made public today.

Sender's license to practice medicine in New York was suspended a year ago after state officials found that he had committed repeated gross negligence and incompetence in New Jersey, where he was also licensed to be a doctor.

The new ruling from New York state officials makes the Monsey doctor permanently ineligible to treat patients in the state.

New York, NY - Plan To Change Trash Law

New York, NY - Councilman David Yassky plans to propose a new law, that would provide relief for city homeowners who get ticketed for trash on their sidewalk.

The bill would require a warning for first-time violators and 30 days probation for second-timers, after which the record would be wiped clean if they aren't ticketed again.

Yassky said "Hardworking New Yorkers often come home to a dirty stoop and sidewalk because of someone else."

Brooklyn, NY Domino Sugar Factory, The Next Williamsburg Landmark Fight

Brooklyn, NY - Williamsburg-Greenpoint preservationists want to save the old Domino Sugar Refinery, which is otherwise likely to be high rise waterfront condos.

The Waterfront Preservation Alliance of Williamsburg & Greenpoint is launching a petition, letter-writing and postcard-sending drive to convince the Landmarks Commission to extend landmark status to some of the buildings on the huge East River site. The preservation campaign is also targeting Councilman and Congressional candidate David Yassky who opposed the 184 Kent landmarking.

Developers bought the Domino site in 2004, and it can accommodate high rises up to 40 stories under last year's waterfront rezoning.

New York, NY - +NYPD Mob Cops Sentenced+

New York, NY - +NYPD Mob Cops Sentenced+ Former New York City police detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, who were convicted of eight murders including the killing of Jewish jeweler Israel Greenwald for $25,000 at the behest of a mob underboss, as reported on VOS IZ NEIAS, have been sentenced to life in prison.

New York, NY - NYPD Begun Installing More Than 500 Cameras Around The City

New York, NY - The Police Department, much to the chagrin of civil libertarians, has begun installing more than 500 cameras at more than 200 locations throughout the city where street crime has been a problem or where tourists tend to gather.

Police hope the cameras do for the streets what cameras in housing facilities have done for residents, with those 3,100 cameras fueling double-digit drops in crime, according to Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne, the NYPD's chief spokesman. "The cameras have proven to be very effective," the department said.

On Fordham Road near Kingsbridge Road in the Bronx, one location where department cameras have been installed, police in a nearby surveillance van can monitor what is being recorded in real time.

Many of the other cameras in the department's $9.1-million program will strictly record what goes on the streets where they are posted. Police said, however, that the cameras also have the capability to be used as monitors.

At about the same time, police expanded "Operation Safe Store," an initiative aimed at putting video cameras in bodegas and grocery stores where thieves or gunmen have previously struck. While each camera and installation costs the NYPD about $1,000, police sources familiar with the program say it's money well-spent and helps build bridges with merchants.

Jerusalem, Israel - Trial Of Father Accused Of Killing Son Opened

Jerusalem, Israel - The trial of Israel Valas, the yeshiva student accused of killing his 3-month-old son, opened Monday morning at the Jerusalem District Court. Valas arrived at the hearing accompanied by family members and relatives and seemed relaxed.

The first person to testify was Sergeant Major Yuval Kaminitz from the Moriah police station, who recounted his meeting with Valas at the hospital. "I arrived and saw a father with a baby in critical condition, and he seemed indifferent to me. This aroused my suspicion."

Attorney Feldman, Valas' lawyer, commented: "What kind of psychological training do you have to determine that he seemed indifferent?"

Aviva Levi, a nurse at the Tipat Halav childcare services, said that "when the mother and child visited the clinic, I got the impression that the baby was taken care of and was not neglected."

According to the indictment, 19-year-old Valas harshly abused the baby: He slapped him, pinched him in his face and neck, on a place where he suffered from a birth defect. "The father committed the acts out of anger over the baby's crying, and as a result of these acts the baby suffered from hemorrhages in his face," the State Prosecutor's office elaborated.

Ethiopia Pledges To Preserve Jewish Cemeteries

Ethiopia - A delegation for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Ethiopia had a meeting with Ethiopian government officials, including the deputy foreign minister, in an effort to resolve the problem of cemetery desecration and preservation of places sacred to Ethiopian Jews.

"We came away at least satisfied by the promises we received," says the forum chair. "If they make good on that, we will have some consolation. We are not going to sleep while the bones of our loved ones are scattered above ground." And he said that the deputy foreign minister had promised to issue a regulation to ensure the preservation of the Jewish cemeteries and holy sites. 

Also did the president of the Amhari province assured the delegation that they would shortly begin to locate the desecrators and bring them to justice. "In the coming months we will consolidate our activity by setting up a public non-profit organization through which we can fight to preserve and restore the Jewish cemeteries in Ethiopia," he said.

Ohio - Senator Honored By Jewish School

Ohio - U.S. Senator George Voinovich, former Cleveland mayor who was elected to the Senate in 1999, was presented with the Rabbi Eliezer Silver Humanitarian Award for Distinguished Service in Fighting Hate. The award ceremony downtown was part of a celebration of the 60th anniversary of Cincinnati Hebrew Day School, which Silver founded.

Voinovich said hate crimes have been increasing worldwide against Jews, and the world needs to speak out against anti-Semitism. He also said that people with such prejudices are reaching positions of power, citing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and two new cabinet officials in Poland - Education Minister Roman Giertych and Deputy Prime Minister Andrzej Lepper.

Brooklyn, NY +Tractor Trailer Trapped In Hole+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Tractor Trailer Trapped In Hole+ A female driver got her tractor trailer trapped in a sinkhole on top of a gas main at a construction site on Flushing Avenue corner Lee Avenue blocking the street from traffic, PD on the scene shutting down Flushing Avenue.

U/D: 11:24
NYPD requesting heavy duty tow to respond, also requesting O.E.M.

U/D: 12:08
Aviation above.

New Orleans - Jewish Community Fearful As New Hurricane Season Begin

New Orleans - For the last eight months, Joel Colman has lived in a 30-ft trailer parked on the grounds of New Orleans’ Temple Sinai.

It’s convenient to his job - after all, Colman is the synagogue’s cantor - “Quite frankly, living here there’s not a lot of separation between work and not work,” said Colman the 48-year-old cantor, whose house was severely damaged by last year’s Hurricane Katrina, and proudly showing off the mezuzah affixed to the trailer’s entrance.

Colman, knows he’s one of the lucky ones he only had to wait a few months for his $70,000 trailer, which is parked at Temple Sinai because there’s not enough room on his front lawn. Yet Colman won't be so lucky if even a weak hurricane strikes the Gulf Coast during the 2006 hurricane season, which officially began on June 1.

Like everyone else here, the Jews of New Orleans worry that the 2006 hurricane season could bring more unpleasant surprises.

Especially vulnerable are people like Colman, who are stuck in flimsy FEMA trailers not built to withstand hurricane-force winds. “The trailers are a huge issue. No one believes they'll stand up to anything, not even in the wake of a 25-mph wind,” says Adam Brownstone. “People aren't meant to live in them for a long time, but obviously people have, in the absence of housing and delays with insurance and getting contractors. All that has inhibited people from moving back to their homes.”

In fact, says Brownstone, only 65 percent of New Orleans’ 9,500 Jews have returned to the city in the nine months since Katrina’s devastation.

South Fallsburg, NY - Sale on Raleigh Hotel Pending

Sullivan County, South Fallsburg, NY - Sale on the Raleigh hotel is still pending

Two Hasidic groups are still vying to buy the 320-room Raleigh Hotel in South Fallsburg, the front-runner remains a group affiliated with the Bobov sect based in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

Bobov runs a camp across the road from the hotel. The final purchase could be two or more months away, sources close to the negotiations say.

New York - Funding To Study Widening Route 17

New York - US Senator Charles Schumer favors widening Route 17, to be named I-86, in parts of Orange and Sullivan counties.

Schumer said that he has secured money in the transportation bill to study widening of the highway. "It will cost about $100 million, that’s our estimate, from the place where the three lanes stops in Orange County all the way through Liberty," he said. "So, that’s not bad."
Schumer and others are concerned about growing traffic now and capacity problems as development occurs, particularly Bethel Woods opening in a matter of weeks and casinos expected in the next few years.

Brooklyn, NY +Overturned Truck On Pulaski Bridge+

Brooklyn, NY +Overturned Truck On Pulaski Bridge+ Traffic Alert: FD and NYPD of the 94th Pct are on the scene with an overturned truck at the Pulaski Bridge coming off McGuinness Blvd. that's leaking gasoline, also involved is a heavy-duty crane that's leaking diesel fuel. Requesting ESU heavy duty and EMS for some injured, also requesting Hazmat due to the large amount of fuel leaking.

U/D: 07:19
Requesting DOT to assist in a debris clean up.
Northbound og McGuinness Blvd is being shut down.

Brooklyn, NY - New Park Coming To Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - A new NY State Park is coming to the waterfront of the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

The new park on Kent Avenue between N 7th and N 9th Streets will be two full city blocks of prime waterfront with an unobstructed view of the midtown skyline, and its due to open mid to late July.

Monticello, NY - Budget Calls For Tax Boost

Monticello, NY - Residents might have another tax increase to look forward to.

The proposed $6.1 million preliminary budget calls for a 5 percent increase in village property taxes, Village Manager said.
If the budget is approved, the tax rate will jump to $20.66 per $1,000, up from $19.65.

Israel +Large Power Outage+

Israel +Large Power Outage+ A massive power outage hit areas throughout Israel this Sunday afternoon leaving hundreds of Israelis throughout the country stranded in elevators due to this series of rolling blackouts initiated by the electric company.

Queens, NY +Lightning Strike+

Bayswater, Queens, NY +Lightning Strike+ A 14-year-old boy in Bayswater Queens on Dickens Avenue has been struck by lightning, Hatzolah responding.

U/D: 15:16
Hatzolah BLS units on the scene requesting additional ALS units to respond.

Sarasota, FL - Man Fights Museum For Return Of Art Seized By Nazis

Sarasota, FL - Collecting poster art was Hans Sachs' passion. The well-to-do German dentist compiled 12,500 pieces he painstakingly cataloged and displayed throughout his home in Berlin. He even published a magazine dedicated to the art form.
Like many German Jews, Sachs lost almost everything to rampaging mobs of Nazis during what became known as Kristallnacht on Nov. 9, 1938. The Gestapo arrested him and hauled away his poster collection, which he never saw again.

Today, several thousand of the posters - likely worth millions - are stored in a German history museum, and Sachs' son wants them back.

But the museum is refusing to hand them over. Officials there say Hans Sachs was compensated by the German government for the loss of his collection more than 40 years ago. His son, they say, is entitled to nothing.

A legal battle seems to be on the horizon.

Peter Sachs, 67, hired New Jersey lawyer Gary Osen, a Holocaust restitution specialist. Osen last year won a landmark case, getting back land in downtown Berlin for a descendant of the Wertheim department store family, whose fortune was lost under the Nazis.

Brooklyn, NY - Congressman Urges to Establish Residential Community for Holocaust Survivors

Borough Park, Brookly, NY - Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) was joined by Holocaust survivors and community activists to urge Chief Judge Edward Korman of the Eastern District of New York to distribute $10 million of the $1.25 billion in the Swiss bank claims settlement to construct an assisted living facility for Holocaust survivors in Boro Park, Brooklyn. Nadler made the following statement at a press conference at the United States Courthouse for the Eastern District of New York.

"On Friday, April 16th, Special Master Judah Gribetz will make his recommendations to Chief Judge Edward Korman for the distribution of some of the $1.25 billion in the Swiss bank settlement. I strongly urge that part of this money be distributed to needy survivors who live in New York City. The largest concentration of these Holocaust survivors is in Boro Park Brooklyn, and these survivors deserve to live in dignity in their twilight years."

New York, NY - Jewish Lobbyist Biggest In City

New York, NY - There’s a new top lobbyist in town. It’s Suri Kasirer, whose firm doubled its revenues in just two years. ”I suppose it’s good,” said Kasirer, sounding hesitant about the added scrutiny that comes with the No. 1 spot.
In business just 11 years, Kasirer’s small company raked in $2.4 million last year and beat out such powerhouses as Greenberg Traurig LLP and Bolton St. Johns to lead the lobbying pack, according to the annual lobbying report released. Kasirer’s clients include Elad Properties, which is converting The Plaza hotel into condos and which paid her $215,900 in 2005.

Kasirer, who used to work for former Gov. Mario Cuomo, also represents Cemusa Inc., which just won a fiercely fought 20-year city franchise to build bus shelters and other “street furniture.” Kasirer collected $96,000 from the Spanish-based company.

Because she’s married to Bruce Teitelbaum, who served as chief of staff to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, critics had whispered that Kasirer was cashing in on her ties to the former administration. But her business really took off after Giuliani left office. In 2003, Kasirer reported revenues of $1.1 million, jumping to $1.9 million in 2004 and $2.4 million last year.

“She’s good at what she does and charges for it,” conceded one rival.

Should A Parrot That Swears Be Slaughtered

Ramat Gan, Israel - Oren Zarif, is practicing alternative medicine, he recently adopted a parrot who swears uncontrollably, the parrot had belonged to an Orthodox patient of his who bought it for his children, but the pet did not bring the family pleasure, it kept on swearing Zarif relates. “My patient consulted a rabbi, and the rabbi ruled that the parrot should be slaughtered because he sins and causes others to sin.”

Zarif refused to allow the rabbi’s sentence to be carried out and decided to buy the cussing parrot off his patient. Even in his new home the parrot continued to behave without manners, which disturbed Zarif’s Orthodox patients. So Zarif consulted another rabbi, “The parrot must be muted with the minimum of suffering,” the rabbi ruled. “If that doesn’t help, he must be slaughtered.” He stressed: “It is very harmful for children to learn swear words.”

But Zarif refuses to accept the sentence. What’s more, now his wife is threatening to divorce him if he goes through with the execution. The solution: “I'm ready to donate the parrot to a safari or any other body that takes care of animals. At most, they can keep him away from children,” Zarif says.

The Journal News Editorial Is Teaching About A Chillul H'Shem

In revered and instructive Jewish teachings, there are passages about "Chillul Hashem." It is with great respect that we note such teaching in regard to serious fire and building code violations in the Village of New Square, a closely knit religious community in Ramapo that cherishes its children in particular and sees their lives governed by biblical teachings and the Torah.

Yet the vulnerable, the children of not only New Square but the children of volunteer firefighters and other emergency responders, are increasingly put in jeopardy by the code violations. A small fire could erupt there in such building density, with illegal add-ons made of materials that can feed a blaze and spread it to the next house and the next and so on. A conflagration could occur.

Would such threat to life, in and out of the village, not be a "Chillul Hashem," a desecration of God's name?

Gordon Wren Jr., the Rockland fire and emergency services coordinator, says of New Square: "We have a mess we need to straighten out, and for the first time in a while I feel positive. The right guy from the state is spearheading (review), and we have been having cooperation from residents."

Manhattan, NY +MVA+

Manhattan, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident in the lower east side of Manhattan off the Williamsburg Bridge on Delancy Street and Ridge Street near Clinton Street, has Hatzolah of Williamsburg responding with the ambulance and three units on board.

Barcelona, Spain - Interest Grows In Restoring Ancient Jewish Areas

Barcelona, Spain - Spain's Catalonia region suffered some of the most virulent anti-Semitism of the Middle Ages. Most Jews were driven out nearly a century before the entire country expelled the others in 1492.

In the centuries that followed, Catalan Jews were a forgotten people. But now, interest is growing in the region's Jewish past, sparking a revival movement that is drawing Jews back.

Barcelona's oldest synagogue, dating from the ninth century, has been restored, and in January it received a gift of a medieval Torah. The Torah, valued at $30,000, was donated by Lorenzo Rozencwaig, a Jewish attorney from New York.

With the 500-year-old scroll installed in its Ark of the Covenant, the synagogue is now consecrated and can begin to function as a house of worship -- though no congregation regularly meets there now.

Hollywood FL - City Faces Big Legal Fees In Losing Lawsuit Over Synagogue

Hollywood FL - The City of Hollywood could have to dip into taxpayer funds if a federal court determines officials discriminated against a group of Hasidic Jews by ordering them out of a house they converted into a synagogue.

City attorneys have repeatedly said they are confident the city's insurance company would cover any judgment should they lose a federal civil lawsuit filed by the Hollywood Community Synagogue and the U.S. Department of Justice.

But in a March 23 letter from the city's insurer, AIG Domestic Claims Inc., the city was warned that under Florida law, Hollywood would not be covered if the court determines there was intentional discrimination.

The letter also stated that the company would pay only up to $50,000 if punitive damages were assessed against Commissioner Sal Oliveri, who is personally named in the lawsuit.

The insurance will pay nothing if the court determines Oliveri intentionally discriminated against the synagogue.

While confident the city will prevail in the lawsuit, the City Attorney Dan Abbott said that in a worst-case scenario, the city would have to tap into its self-insurance fund, currently valued at $11 million. The fund, supported by taxpayers, is set aside each year to fight cases filed against the city.

The city's insurance company has been paying for Hollywood's legal bills since the city reached its $100,000 deductible last year during its defense against the synagogue's lawsuit.

The federal civil lawsuit revolves around the city's attempts to oust the group from the single-family home it had converted into a synagogue in Hollywood Hills, as reported on VOS IZ NEIAS.