Israel Steps Up Assault After Rockets Hit City's

Israel - Hezbollah rockets has hit Israeli city's well beyond the border. In Tveryeh a missel fell ner the Slonimer Bies Hamedrash, about 13 were injured in Teveryeh and 12 in Tzfas all lightly.

Israeli aircraft attacked central Beirut for the first time in the four-day offensive, and warplanes were hitting bridges and gas stations in eastern and southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese prime minister has declares his country a disaster zone. And Syria says that it will support Hizbollah and Lebanon against Israel's attacks on the country,

Tiberias, Israel - Rockets Shatter Sea of Galilee

Tiberias, Israel - A rain of rockets from Lebanon shattered the quiet Shabbas, sending people fleeing for their lives and residents crowding into bomb shelters. "Everybody was hysterical. Everybody was scared to death," said Batsheva Kakoun, 53, among hundreds in shelters in this resort city beside the lake called the Sea of Galilee.

Hezbollah rockets hit Tiberias, the first time since the 1973 Mideast war that the resort city was attacked by rockets. Residents were ordered into bomb shelters, and tourists were fleeing the city. "We never thought, until the day that I die, that this would happen in Tiberias," said ex-mayor Asher Yaish.

Twin barrages of dozens of Hezbollah's Katyusha rockets cleared the streets, driving thousands of tourists onto southbound roads to get out of range of rockets that have been falling on this northern part of Israel.
As warning sirens wailed, scores of black-clad ultra-Orthodox Jews quickly ran to their cars, removed their skullcaps and drove away. Ultra-Orthodox Jews do not drive on the Shabbas, except to save a life.

Inside bomb shelters, some beds were stacked four-high, designed to accommodate as many people as possible. Others lacked air conditioning, but as the heat and humidity built up those inside refused to leave. Officials said they lacked the basic necessities because they had not been used in years.
"It's especially difficult for the kids," said Kakoun, who had been in a shelter since 1 p.m.

The Lebanese guerrillas have threatened to make more and more of Israel a target.

Tzafes, Israel - Two Killed as Rocket Attacks on Israel Continue

Tzafes, Israel - Rockets rained down on northern Israel for a third straight day today, killing a grandmother and her 5-year-old grandson, while many residents packed their cars, boarded buses and hitched rides out of a region that normally hasa large influx of tourists on summer weekends.

The woman and her grandchild were killed when a rocket slammed into the family dining room while they were eating the traditional Shabbas dinner in the town of Meron.

Several other family members were also injured in the rocket attack by Lebanon’s militant Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah. Israeli authorities did not immediately release the names of the family that was hit.

New York +Terrorist Search+

New York +Terrorist Search+ The F.B.I. And the New York State Police are searching for a thin build w" male 5'10" pssinly armed with a knif and a B.B. gun, he is wanted for terroristic threats against the U.S. goverment, he is believed to be hiding in the woods of Westchester, Rockland or Orange Counties, he may be driving a 2 door grey 2002 Dodge Stratus with NY tags on it.

Jerusalem, Israel +Boy Stabbed+

Jerusalem, Israel +Boy Stabbed+ A bucher approximate 21-year-old was stabbed by an Arab in the back while walking on Rechov H'Neviim Street between Road #1 and Shaar Shechem towards the Old City, the Arab approached him from the behind and stabbed him in the lower back, the Arab ran off towards the Old City and the bucher ran back to Road #1 where he notified Police and was taken by Hatzolah and transported to the Shaare Tzedek Hospital, he was moderetely injured and doctors say he is in moderate condition and will stay for further treatment.

Woodridge, NY +Satmar Camp Fall Victim+

Sullivan County Woodridge, NY +Satmar Camp Fall Victim+ Medevec Helo was requested by Hatzolah and L/Z will be at Krieger Park for a fall victim from Satmar Camp off Dairyland Road with a child that went on a group walk in the woods with a teacher, child has leg trauma.

Rafah, Gaza +Militants Blew Hole In Border Wall+

Rafah, Gaza - Middle East tension spreads as Militants blew a hole in the border wall at the Egypt-Gaza border, and a stream of Palestinians have begun flooding Gaza from Egypt.

U/D: 12:38
Loud booms have shaken Beirut, and witnesses report a new attack on Hezbollah's stronghold in the southern part of the Lebanese capital.
Hezbollah TV reports that the building housing the headquarters of the guerrilla group, and the residence of its chief and leader, Sheik Hassan Narallah, has been destroyed in the Israeli airstrike, but the leader and his family are alive.

U/D: 13:03
In Miron two women were killed when a rocket exploded in a house, a grandmother and her 5-year-old granddaughter.

Hezbella leader speaks to nation of Lebanon on Hezbella TV, saying that his group is ready for "open war" with Israel.

U/D:
Israeli naval ship off the coast of Lebanon has suffered 95% damage by what appeared to be from an unmanned Hezbollah aircraft rigged with explosives, and 4 crew members missing.

Beirut, Lebanon - Israel Attacks Beirut International Airport For 3rd Time

Beirut, Lebanon - Israeli warplanes blasted a runway with two missiles at Beirut's airport with two missiles Friday, in the third attack on the nation's sole international facility since Israel launched a military offensive against Lebanon three days ago.

The Vatican condemned the Israei's for the attacks on Lebanon.

So far did Hezbollah guerrillas fire 700+ rockets at Israeli towns, causing about 200,000+ Israelis to stay in bomb shelters, and Caaifa residents were told to remain in safe areas.

U/D:
Some reports say, that there are several casualties in Israel from latest rocket attacks.

Madison, Wis. - Minneapolis-Based Nazi Group Granted Rally Permit

Madison, Wis. - A group that calls itself the largest Nazi party in the U.S. has been granted a permit to demonstrate at the state Capitol in August.

The rally will denounce illegal immigration and the U.S. "open borders policy," said organizer Jeff Schoep, the commander of the Minneapolis-based National Socialist Movement. The Madison gathering was expected to draw about 100 of the group's members from across the nation, he said.
Kris Johnson, the group's Wisconsin leader said. "People that come to our rallies and listen to what we have to say are going to be pleasantly surprised at how much they agree with," said Johnson, who lives in Green Bay.

State officials granted the permit because the Capitol is a public building, said Sean Dilweg, executive assistant at the state Department of Administration. The state's challenge is to balance free-speech rights with the need to keep the public safe, he said.
Schoep and Johnson said they expect the rallies will remain peaceful and that they'd cooperate with law enforcement officials to ensure the event doesn't cause a disturbance.

Paula Simon, executive director of the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations, said her group wouldn't protest at the event because the group's members "have the absolute right" to speak their minds.

Mumbai, India - Jewish Community Safe Following Bombings

Mumbai, India - The Jewish community of Mumbai are safe after a series of bombs claimed 200 lives on the city’s train system.

As Mumbai gets back on track, so does the Indian Jewish community’s, some of their members had a narrow escape Tuesday at the bombings, when seven bomb blasts on Mumbai commuter trains killed 200 people and injured more than 700.

Benjamin Isaac, a director of the Jewish community in India, said the community in Mumbai is safe and the school is "operating normally."
Isaac said some of his colleagues had narrow escapes. One member had just left his train when a train on the parallel track exploded; another was at the station when a bomb exploded at the opposite end of his train.
One man who is working at the educational group as an independent auditor, survived the attack on his train but found himself surrounded by dozens of corpses.
"We have had calls from people all around the world asking after us."

With some 4,000 Jews, Mumbai’s community is the largest remaining in India.

New York +Thruway Traffic Alert+

Harriman, New York +Thruway Traffic Alert+ A motor vehicle accident on the northbound of the New York State Thruway I-87 with one vehicle that overturned at M/M 49, anticipate lane closures and delays.

Astoria, Queens, NY - Workers Want Owner To Head Union Vote

Astoria, Queens, NY - Nurses, dieticians, housekeepers and other workers at New York Center for Rehabilitation on 21st Street in Astoria are fed up with management’s refusal to recognize their union vote.   

Health care workers at an Astoria nursing home voted two years ago for new union representation, but still haven’t seen the better wages and health care they hoped for. They claim management is denying them their rightful voice as it drags the case through a lengthy court challenge.    

In March 2004, they overwhelmingly voted for Local 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East to represent them. But the facility owner, Chaim Sieger, challenged the vote in court and so far has refused to recognize the workers’ wishes.
One worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said she deserves higher wages and a better health insurance plan. She was among the 200 employees who planned a picketing to pressure management and raise public awareness.    

The case is now in its last stop on the court circuit, pending review in the District Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.    The union believes the court will uphold the workers’ vote and that Sieger would have been better off spending his money on a new contract rather than lawyers.    "He’d rather pay legal fees than give anything to the members,” she said.

Brooklyn, NY +Major Delays on B.Q.E.+

Brooklyn, NY +Major Delays on B.Q.E.+ An accident involving two trucks at the north bound of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway at Atlantic Avenue is blocking some lanes of the expressway causing extensive delays back down the Gowanus Expressway from the Verrazano Narrows Brodge.

Woodbury, NY +Route 17 & Route 6 Traffic Alert+

Woodbury, NY +Route 17 & Route 6 Traffic Alert+ Expect delays and use caution in the area due to a motorcycle accident Route 6 joins the Route 17 in Woodbury, NY EMS on the scene requesting ALS units to respond.

Baghdad, Iraq - Parliament Speaker Accuses Jews For Financing The Violence In Iraq

Baghdad, Iraq - The speaker of parliament accused the Jews of financing the acts of violence in Iraq in order to discredit Islamists who control the parliament and government so they can install their agents in power.

"They will say that we brought you in a democratic way to the government but you are sectarian people. One of you is killing the other and you don‘t deserve to become leaders because you are war lords," al-Mashhadani told reporters after a parliament meeting.
"Some people say, We saw you beheading, kidnappings and killing. In the end we even started kidnapping women who are our honor,‘" al-Mashhadani said. "These acts are not the work of Iraqis. I am sure that he who does this is a Jew and the son of a Jew."
"No one deserves to rule Iraq other than Islamists," he said.

Washington, DC - Congress Panel Rips Abuses Of 9/11 AC Scam

Washington, DC - Congress is all about the fraud stemming from the September 11 relief efforts.
A House oversight subcommittee has been discussing a number of programs which people not eligible for relief were able to apply for - and get relief.  

One notable example was in New York, where a program that gave people the option to buy new air conditioners, since their old ones would have been affected by the Ground Zero dust. Except many people who got the money didn't even live near Ground Zero, or they even lived in apartments with central air conditioning.  
The AC program was budgeted at $15 million, but went to $100 million because of the many applications like this.  

With these hearings, and testimony from the Inspector General of Homeland Security, the House hopes not to repeat problems seen after September 11 and Hurricane Katrina.

Manhattan, NY +N/B & S/B George Washington Bridge Traffic Alert+

Manhattan, NY +N/B & S/B George Washington Bridge Traffic Alert+ An motor vehicle accident on the Cross Bronx Parkway at Webster Avenue is causing major delays inbound and outbound of the George Washington Bridge where traffic is bumper to bumper.

Tdelays continue onto the Jersey Side of the bridge back towards Route 80. The wait is an hour plus as you head onto the bridge.

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on East 10th Street between Avenue "L" to Avenue "M" Hatzolah responding.

Williamsburg The New Stop For The Water Taxi

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - The New York
Water Taxi announced that, starting Monday, July 17th, they are adding service from Williamsburg to Wall Street.  

The Williamsburg stop on the ferry's route will be at Schaefer Landing on South 10th Street and run to East 34th Street and Pier 11 near Wall Street. it will only run on business days that the NYSE is open.
There will also be weekend service to some of New York Water Taxi's other locations.

Woodbury, NY - Court Clears Way For New Village Vote

Woodbury, NY - An appeals court ruling has cleared the way for Woodbury residents to vote whether to create a village that encompasses the whole town except its portion of Harriman.

Residents petitioned to form the village in 2004 amid fears that neighboring Kiryas Joel would expand into Woodbury. Their proposal then languished in court after landholders for the Chasidic community challenged it on technical grounds.

An appeals panel overturned a January 2005 state Supreme Court decision that sided with Kiryas Joel, removing the only obstacle to a referendum on forming a Village of Woodbury.
The vote would be the second this year on creating a village in the area surrounding Kiryas Joel, whose high-density building and rapid growth riles its neighbors. Three weeks ago, residents voted overwhelmingly to incorporate a 4.8-square-mile Village of South Blooming Grove, just north of Kiryas Joel.

Sydney, Australia - Opening Of New Kollel

Sydney, Australia - More than 25 Orthodox Jews: seven rabbis, their wives and a flock of kinder - all of them arrived in Australia to open Sydney's first full-scale kollel, an institute for the advanced study of Torah.

The rabbis and their families were greeted at the airport by Rabbi Shalom Silberberg, the rosh (head) of the new kollel, who arrived in Sydney from New Jersey two months ago to lay the foundations for the Jewish institute.
Two more rabbis and their families will arrive in Sydney in the next few weeks, taking their total to 10 rabbis - the requisite number for a minyan.

The rabbis - all graduates of Lakewood Yeshiva in New Jersey, will be based at the Adas Yisroel Congregation in Bondi.

Brooklyn, NY +Private Dwelling Fire+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Private Dwelling Fire+ Fire Department calling all hands for a fire a 2.5 story 20x40 wood frame private dwelling at 1220 46th Street between 12th and 13th Avenue's.

U/D: 13:54
FDNY Squad-1 has been involved in a MVA at Fort Hamilton Parkway and 38th Street, while responding to the fire at 46th Street. One with minor injury.

Israel +Rocket Attack City Of Chaifa+

Israel +Rocket Attack City Of Chaifa+ Two rockets fired by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah hit the Israeli city of Chaifa, a major port city in northern Israel.

Also some rockets that were fired from Lebanon, hit some journalists injuring one.

U/D: 13:33
Lebanese government asked the U.N. Security Council to demand a cease-fire in the cross-border fighting.

U/D: 14:56
Israel has announced a declaration of war and threatens Iran.

U/D: 15:43
The United States has vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israel's Gaza offensive.

U/D: 20:57
Witnesses report that Israeli warplanes early Friday attacked targets in Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut.

U/D: 07/14/06 00:47
Police say three people have been killed and dozens wounded in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon's capital Friday.

U/D: 07/14/06 11:41
Israeli military say they believe the missiles that hit Haifa yesterday were made in Iran.

Brooklyn, NY - Even A Bank Robber Isn't Safe On The Streets Of Brooklyn

Brooklyn, NY - Kareem Sims, 31, witnessed a robbery at the Independence Bank on Avenue "U" in Gravesend July 3.

Several good Samaritans chased and caught alleged thief James Boccanfusso a few blocks away. But in the ensuing confusion, Sims sneaked up on the robber and grabbed money bag's containing $3,000.

The Samaritans were able to provide the cops who busted Boccanfusso with a description of Sims, and he was spotted near the bank yesterday and was arrested. He was charged with robbery and possession of stolen property.

New York, NY - Is Mayor Bloomberg's Slip of Tongue, On Purpose?

New York, NY - Councilman David Yassky - the only white candidate in a racially charged Brooklyn congressional contest - was all smiles for the second time after Mayor Bloomberg cheekily called him "congressman."
"Congressman . . .  I   Mean Councilman . . . David Yassky," Bloomberg said during an introduction to a bill-signing ceremony at City Hall.  Yassky smiled.
 
It's the second event in less than a month in which Bloomberg appeared at a public event with Yassky, and he attached "congressman" next to the candidate's name.

New York, NY - Protesters Against The NY Times Outside Its Offices

New York, NY - Demonstrators against the New York Times - for revealing some of the American Government's secrets of its war against terrorism - have taken to the streets in New York.
Almost 100 gathered outside the New York offices of The Times carrying placards denouncing the paper for disclosing how it tracks money transfers from abroad to suspected terrorists in the US. One speaker declared that publishing the information is an "act of treason. It also put the public safety of the country in jeopardy".

The speaker, Rabbi Aryeh Spero, called for the Government to prosecute The Times - and also urged the public to boycott the paper. "Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can aid the enemy in time of war" the cleric added.
Protestors lined up outside the newspaper's offices carrying signs labeling The Times "Osama's Favourite Newspaper".

Officials of The Times have defended their publication of the anti-terrorist details by saying the terrorists have known about the surveillance for a long time. The paper's editor Bill Keller insists that the paper's job as a news organization is to keep the public informed of how well their elected representatives are doing in the war on terror.

Washington, DC - Homeland Security Releasing $25 Million To Protect Nonprofit Facilities

Washington DC - Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff said, he will change course and release $25 million to protect nonprofit facilities facing terror - like New York City synagogues.

Rockville, MD - Boy Drowns In Community Pool

Montgomery County, Rockville, MD - A 7-year-old child was pulled from the pool at the Jewish Community Center on Montrose Road.
The boy was one of five youngsters taking part in a regularly scheduled swim lesson as part of the school's day camp.

There were at least 15 other children in the pool at the time and two life guards on duty.
The lifeguards saw the boy at the bottom of the pool in four feet of water, they pulled him out and started CPR. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

The boy's next of kin still to be notified.

Auschwitz Name Change Stalled

The World Heritage Committee (WHC) clarified media reports on its decision regarding the request by Poland to rename the site of Auschwita Concentration Camp.

"The Committee decided that before changing the name of the site, further international consultations should be conducted together with UNESCO's World Heritage Center," said Chairperson of the WHC's 30th session Ian Marciulionyte at a news conference.
"These consultations should enable us to ensure that if a new name is decided at the next session of the World heritage Committee it will do justice to the outstanding universal value of the site," she explained.

Polish media reports said earlier that UNESCO's WHC approved in Vilnius a new name.

Woodbury, NY - Replaces Lawyer In Kiryas Joel Tussle

Woodbury, NY - Town officials are replacing the Albany lawyer David Engel, they brought in two years ago to prepare for a land battle with neighboring Kiryas Joel and navigate a tangle of land-use and legal issues.

A likely source of conflict was a master plan update that Engel helped draft. The new plan - technically known as a comprehensive plan - was zooming toward adoption until Kiryas Joel's lawyers and consultants sent sharply worded letters in December and February calling it discriminatory and demanding changes.
Officials have said for months that Engel was working on responses to those comments. But on Thursday, the board voted unanimously to seek a new lawyer to finish the comprehensive plan and "litigate future land issues," among other responsibilities.

Kiryas Joel and its landowners object to references in the comprehensive plan to the Hasidic community's high-density housing and warnings that such development would destroy rural character and pollute groundwater if allowed to spread westward into Woodbury.
In a Feb. 15 letter, one lawyer for the village said parts of the plan constituted a "thinly veiled attack on the lifestyles and culture of the Hasidic residents of (the) Village of Kiryas Joel and Woodbury with the goal of preventing the normal and necessary growth of the Village."
The town and its consultants must respond to those criticisms as part of an environmental review for the comprehensive plan.

Melbourne, Australia - Two Shuls Attacked

Melbourne, Australia - Two Melbourne Progressive synagogues were attacked.

An exterior wall of Bentleigh Progressive Synagogue (BPS), as well as the footpath and a section of Centre Road were daubed with antisemitic slogans, including "Die Jews", as well as a swastika and Star of David joined with an equals sign.
At Kew East’s Leo Baeck Centre, vandals threw bricks through several glass windowpanes, which are only protected by bushes.
Shul president Frank Moore said "It's the worst attack we’ve had, It disgusts me and distresses me that people can do this. It’s an attack on the community as a whole; it’s an attack on being Jewish."

The Melbourne attacks follow two incidents at Sydney shuls in the past month. On June 24, intruders broke in to Coogee Synagogue, damaging the handle of a Torah scroll and stealing the curtain from the ark. Earlier last month, vandals detonated the intercom at North Shore Temple Emanuel.

Tzafes, Israel +Rocket Hit+

Tzafes, Israel +Rocket Hit+ A Lebanese rocket has hit the Israeli town of Tzafes, and seven people were wounded.

U/D: 09:59
Israeli warplanes attacked a Lebanese army air base near the Syrian border, the first strike on the Lebanese army in Israel's fight with Hezbollah guerrillas.

U/D: 11:33
Senior Israeli officer says the army has hit hundreds of targets in Lebanon since Wednesday night.

Also did Israel say that guerrillas were trying to transfer captured soldiers to Iran.

Queens, NY +Jackie Roninson Pkwy Shut Down+

Queens, NY +Jackie Roninson Pkwy Shut Down+ Major delays on the westbound of the Jackie Robinson Parkway at Exit 7 due to an unauthorized tractor trailer being removed from the parkway, all lanes are currently shut down, traffic is stopped past the Van Wyck Expressway.

Gaza City, Gaza Strip +Foreign Ministry Destroyed+

Gaza City, Gaza Strip +Foreign Ministry Destroyed+ An Israeli air strike has destroyed the Palestinian foreign ministry building in Gaza City.

Westchester County - Human Waste Spill On I-84 Jamming Traffic

Westchester County - A tractor-trailer hauling human waste lost its load on the interchange with Interstate 684, spilling hundreds of gallons of the stuff on the highway and jamming traffic for miles, I-84 was closed eastbound turning the highway into a parking lot. "It looks like snow on the road except that it's a deferent color," Brewster Fire Chief Ken Clair said. "And, yes, it stinks."

The sewage was being hauled improperly in an open rig, covered by a tarp, rather than a tank truck, according to the Health Department.

Clair said firefighters and ambulance crews were tending to an accident on I-84 involving a car and a tractor-trailer when the second 18-wheeler, hauling the human waste, apparently came upon the scene too fast and couldn't stop.

Chester, NY - Yeshiva Gets Final Approval

Chester, NY - After a long struggle with Chester Planning Board and town officials, Yeshiva Toras Chemed got the go-ahead it needed to build a dormitory and school at the former site of The Inn at Chester.

The planning board approved the project contingent on several conditions, including getting the necessary approvals from the county health department and the state department of transportation.

Town engineer Jerry McDonnell and Building inspector Joe Mlcoch expressed concern that the children attending the school be kept safe during construction. The latest safety concern is the large numbers of students who are beginning to walk the streets of Chester because they have no transportation.
Last week 10 to 15 Hasidic children were reportedly walking along Greycourt Road toward a warehouse owned by another group. Planners say this poses a safety hazard for the pedestrians as well as a quality-of-life problem for the residential neighborhood.

During the public hearings on the Yeshiva’s construction application, residents had worried that this would happen. The owner had assured the public that the students would be busy studying, and would remain on the premises.

The students, who are about 18 years old, are said to be the top students from a Westchester Yeshiva. They are living in the former motel until the school is completed, which is expected to take about a year.

Airmont, NY - Development Moving Forward

Airmont, NY - Despite serious traffic concerns, plans for a 160-unit condominium complex in an increasingly congested area of Ramapo moved forward last night.
By a 4-3 vote, the town's Planning Board declared that the proposed Blueberry Commons complex, off Route 306 in Monsey, would not have an adverse environmental impact. Board members questioned a traffic study, provided by Hawthorne-based John Collins Engineering P.C., which showed that traffic in the area would not be significantly worsened along the busy state road.

"Whenever you develop, you get traffic," said board member Joseph Brunson, addressing Collins. "Do you agree that in the future this road will get worse?"

"Whenever a car dealer sells a car, you get traffic," Collins answered. "In the future, this road and every road in Rockland County will get worse."

Howard Josephs, president of Blueberry Commons LLC, is proposing five multi-family apartment buildings on 10 acres near Route 306 and Kearsing Parkway.

Brooklyn, NY - Ruling From Court in Satmar Case

Brooklyn, NY - Supporters of Rabbi Zalmen Teitelbaum won a huge victory in their seven-year-long brawl with followers of his brother, Aron, for control of the 120,000 Satmar Chasidim and their millions of dollars of real estate, including a matzah factory.

An appeals court panel in Brooklyn issued two rulings siding with Rabbi Zalmen's faction.
One decision was 3-1 affirming a lower court decision from 2004 that left Zalmen's side in charge of the Satmar congregation in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn by refusing to intervene in what was deemed an off-limits religious dispute.
The other wich was 4-0, overturned a decision Stewart Rosenwasser made in February as an acting state Supreme Court justice in Orange County, a decision that waded firmly into the religious dispute and declared Rabbi Aron's side the winners.

The court unanimously also invalidated a deed transfer that would have given half ownership of the cemetery in Kiryas Joel where Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum and his uncle, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, are buried to the congregation there, which is under Aaron Teitelbaum’s authority. Instead, the court left the entire control of the cemetery with the Williamsburg congregation and under Zalmen Teitelbaum’s authority.

The long-awaited decisions by the Appellate Division of Supreme Court are a stinging defeat for Aron Teitelbaum, who has led the dominant Satmar congregation in Kiryas Joel for a quarter century and now their future was been thrown into doubt.

Lower Hudson Valley, NY +Tornado Sighting+

Lower Hudson Valley, NY +Tornado Sighting+ On the Hudson River near the Tappan Zee Bridge are numerous boats in distress and roads closed down due to downed trees thru out the Lower Hudson Valley
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for parts of Westchester County as a very severe thunderstorm is moving through the area into Connecticut.

At 16 Saw Mill River Drive Hawthorne in Westchester County, NY. a factory (California Closets Co.) has collapsed possibly from the tornado touchdown with some aided trapped, FD, PD and EMS are all responding to the scene, Saw Mill Parkway has been shut down.

White Plains, NY - Metro North Harlem Line has suspended all services due to down trees from the major storm.

Severe Thunder Storm and Flash Flood Warning for Northeast Staten Island, Southern Manhattan and Brooklyn, until 18:15 hours, heavy rains moving east at 30mph and dangerous lightnings.

Much of the Tri-State area remains under a tornado watch.

US Unveils Emergency Alert System

The US government unveiled a communications system that in case of emergency should soon allow it to send SMS alerts to Americans' mobile phones and computers. "We have the ability to do this. It's a major step," Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director David Paulson told reporters outside the US capital as he unveiled the program's design.

The Digital Emergency Alert System (DEAS) will include the participation of television networks and public radio stations and be based on an existing alert system built in the Cold War era for use in the event of a nuclear attack. The new system will initially allow the government to quickly alert public organizations and first-aid groups in case of an emergency.

It is planned to become operational in southern and eastern states by the end of the year, and nationally at the end of 2007.

Irkutsk, Russia - Stewardess That Survived Plane Crash To Be Awarded

Irkutsk, Russia - The stewardess who survived the plane crash in Irkutsk, is to be awarded by the Jewish Community in Russia.

Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar visited Victoria Zilberstein, the stewardess of the A-310 that crashed on July 9 in Irkutsk, at the Sklifosovsky Hospital in Moscow. "I am sure her action, her readiness to sacrifice herself for the salvation of others can be en example for many. This is why we intend to nominate her for the Federaltion’s Person of the Year - 5766 prize", the rabbi said after a meeting with her.
On her part, the stewardess remarked that she was pleased by such a concern from the Jewish community in Russia.

After the meeting with Victoria, Rabbi Lazar, in a talk with doctors and hospital authorities, expressed willingness to give any necessary aid and support. According to her doctors, Victoria will be discharged from the hospital within a week.

Tarzana, CA - Reward Offered For Info On Synagogue Vandalism

Tarzana, CA - A councilman introduced a motion asking the City Council to offer a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever vandalized an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Tarzana.
Someone spray-painted profanities and anti-Semitic slurs on the walls and tried to set fire to the front door of the new Beis David synagogue, causing about $9,000 in damage to the building at 18648 Clark St.as was reported here on VOS IZ NEIAS
Also were the sanctuary where the Safer Torahs are kept spray-painted with offensive words.

The vandalism didn't deter the synagogues Orthodox Jewish congregation -- many of them of Iranian descent -- from moving into their new synagogue during a ceremony the following day. "This type of hatred will not be tolerated and must be punished to the full extent of the law," said Councilman Dennis Zine, whose council district includes the synagogue.

The congregation battled for two years with neighbors and local businesses with parking concerns before getting permission to use the building for a synagogue, but authorities do not believe that was the motive for the vandalism.
The House of Worship Task Force, which includes the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department, FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is investigating the vandalism as a hate crime.

Kosher Slimming

ArtJen Complexus Holdings Corp. announced that they have received kosher certification from Rabbi Gabriel Zinner of Brooklyn, NY for FBCx, the fat fighting fiber tablet.

FBCx is an all natural highly efficacious weight loss product available to all of those who are in need of it, it has the ability to bind and eliminate nine times its own weight in dietary fat.

New York - Bill Passed To Allow Checks On Religious School Employees

New York - State lawmakers passed a bill that will allow independent and religious schools to conduct federal background checks on prospective employees.
Through the FBI's national criminal background check system, employers will be able to learn if a job candidate has ever been convicted of a crime, anywhere in the nation.

The bill, which is sponsored by state senator, Dean Skelos, of Long Island, and Assembly Member Harvey Weisenberg of Long Island, is awaiting the approval of Governor Pataki.
About 500,000 students attend nonpublic schools across the state.

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

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

Moscow - Jews Attacked at Exhibit

Moscow - A group of around 10 Russian Orthodox religious extremists attacked a group of Jews in front of their exhibit, screaming ikes killed our Tsar! - a reference to the belief popular in nationalist circles that Nicholas II was ritually murdered by Jews.
The attackers were upset by paradoxically, of Stalin featured at the Jewish exhibit.
Security was called in to stop the attack, though it is unclear if any arrests or injuries took place.

Lakewood, NJ - Delay In Trial Of Man Accused Of Assaulting Teen

Lakewood, NJ - A postponement was granted in the Lakewood Municipal Court case of Elchonon Zimmerman, the 43-year-old Lawrence Avenue man charged with simple assault of a teenager May 17. As was reported at time on VOS IZ NEIAS.

Lakewood court officials said Zimmerman's lawyer, Darren Gelber, needed more time for discovery. The new court hearing is set for 9:30 a.m. Aug. 24, according to the court.
Zimmerman's case has caused a public conflict because it has divided many members of the black and Orthodox Jewish communities.

Washington, DC - Senator Decries Anti-Terror Funding Cuts

Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) denounced the elimination of federal funding that would protect high-risk non-profit institutions from terrorist attacks.

The senator criticized cuts to the 2007 Homeland Security spending bill, that included $25 million for institutions that provide vital health, social, cultural and educational services to the American people. “We must protect the institutions that are vital to our communities,” Mikulski said. “This is a federal investment in added security to help protect organizations at risk of terrorist attacks.”

Jewish Communities have supported Mikulski’s efforts.

Deal, NJ - FBI and IRS Agents Grab Records at Yeshiva

Deal, NJ - Federal agents seized records from the business offices of the Deal Yeshiva, the latest signal of a widening investigation into the dealings of Solomon Dwek, a multimillionaire developer and school administrator.

FBI and IRS agents spent hours combing through the Brighton Avenue business office of the private Jewish school and removing boxes and other items.
Dwek's attorney, Michael Him mel, said he was aware that investigators executed search warrants at two sites yesterday, one in the yeshiva office, and another search in an office in Oakhurst registered as the home address of Dwek Financial LLC, Dwek's real estate management company.

Dwek, 33, is the son of Rabbi Isaac Dwek, founder of the region's Sephardic Jewish community and leader of the Deal Synagogue.

At the Deal Yeshiva, the younger Dwek has served as vice president and chief executive. In federal campaign contribution records, Dwek has alternately listed his occupation as a rabbi, a school administrator, an investor and the head of a real estate company.

In May, FBI agents arrested Dwek on bank fraud charges related to a PNC deposit. He re mains free on $10 million bail pending indictment.

Israel +Troops Enter Southern Lebanon+

Israeli ground forces have entered southern Lebanon following a Hezbollah claim wich the Israeli army confirms, that two of its soldiers have been kidnapped during clashes by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Israeli army confirms that seven of its soldiers were killed in an earlier Hezbollah raid.

Meron: Five rockets have just landed on the Meron hill quite close to the grave of Reb Shimon smoke can be seen in northern Meron.

U/D: 10:56
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah says he will not release two captured Israeli soldiers except as part of a prisoner swap.

U/D: 23:59
Officials have closed Beirut International Airport after Israeli warplanes struck runways in the Lebanese capital's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs. Also did Israel block ports to Beirut.

Chicago +Train Fire+

Chicago IL +Train Fire+ A train fire with smoke filling inside CTA tunnel from an 8 car train that the last 2 cars were derailed M/A from the city and the suburbs for over 75 aided that have to be transported, about 30 ambulances responding to the scene.

Suffern, NY - Bikur Cholim Fight Shutdown Of Shabbas House

Suffern, NY - A coalition of Orthodox Jewish groups cited federal law in seeking to keep open a residence for Jews visiting sick relatives in the hospital.
The National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs filed a brief with the New York District Court in the case of Bikur Cholim vs. Village of Suffern, N.Y.

Suffern wants to shut down what has become known as the “Shabbas house” for zoning reasons. Orthodox Jews use the house as a residence while visiting relatives receiving treatment at the Good Samaritan Hospital across the street.

In the brief filed, the Jewish groups argued that closing the house would violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Borough Park +Pedestrian Struck+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on 16th Avenue and 39th Street, Hatzolah on the scene requesting ALS units with a rush for aided that has serious injuries.

Southampton, NY - Zoning Board of Appeals Grants Special Permit For House Of Worship

Southampton, NY - After more than a year of hearings, the Zoning Board of Appeals has granted a special exception permit to a Jewish center to operate as a house of worship in the village.

The Southampton Jewish Center, which has been operating for seven years in the house of Rabbi Rafe Konikov, is the only Jewish center in the village, and just one of a handful of synagogues in the Hamptons.
Konikov and his family moved into their house, a former nursing home at 214 Hill St., about seven years ago, and renovated it so it could be used for services.

But in 2004, village officials suggested that he obtain a formal permit to operate the house of worship in a residential area. Several Hill Street neighbors objected to what they said would be traffic created by the synagogue, and the Zoning Board of Appeals found itself overwhelmed by constitutional issues such as the right of people to worship in their own homes.

Now in granting the special exception, the board issued a 35-page report, which imposed several conditions on the House Of Worship that it had already accepted at earlier hearings. The circular driveway in front of the building will be replaced, and 16 parking spaces will be added in the back of the property.

Albany, NY - Pataki Sending State Anti-Terror Funding To New York Cities

Albany, NY - The Pataki administration moved to restore some of the millions of dollars New York City and Buffalo recently lost in federal anti-terror money, cobbling together other funds in Albany to make up for some of what Washington won't be sending.
The decision by Gov. George Pataki comes after the Department of Homeland Security announced in May that it would reduce New York City's share of security money for cities from $207 million to $124 million and cut Buffalo's share from $7.2 million to $3.7 million.

Buffalo's 48.6 percent reduction, combined with the 40 percent cut to New York City, brought howls of protest from lawmakers at both ends of the state, but DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff resisted demands to change the numbers.

The new state package would likely provide about $700,000 more to Buffalo and may mean as much as $25 million more for New York City.

West Boca, Florida - Victim Of A Synagogue Shooting On Rosh Hashanah Has Died

West Boca, Florida - Jonathan Samuels, who was shot twice in the back in October on Rosh Hashana at the Weltman Synagogue, as was reported at that time on VOS IZ NEIAS, was hospitalized with chest pains July 3 and died the next day.

If it is determined Samuels died from complications from the shooting, the State Attorney's Office could decide to upgrade charges against suspect Marc Benayer. Benayer was jailed last fall at age 79, one of the oldest people jailed locally.

Samuels believed he was targeted for helping Pinto, his employee, arrange to split up with Benayer. Pinto had sought a restraining order against Benayer prior to the shooting, as his verbal threats and harassment increased.

Witnesses testified about Benayer's erratic and controlling behavior in the weeks before the shooting, including distributing a copy of his last will and testament right before the shooting.

Sheriff's detectives say Benayer opened fired outside the synagogue, including firing one random shot near where children played in a day-care setting.

New York - +Accident On Route 17+

New York - +Accident On Route 17+ A motor vehicle accident on Route 17 between Exit's 125 and 126 Hatzolah on the scene.

Boro Park, Brooklyn, NY +Garage Fire+

Boro Park, Brooklyn, NY +Garage Fire+ Fire Department responding to a fire in an attached one story 15x15 garage of a private dwelling in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, at 1746 50th Street between 17th and 18th Avenue's, L-172 is the fast truck, Hatzolah requesting additional members to respond, heavy smoke pushing from the roof of the garage.

U/D: 14:52
FD conducting searches, all visible fire is K/D fire is placed as P/W/H, returning all special units.

NY - IRS Grants Tax Relief For Flooding Victims

New York - The Internal Revenue Service is extending the deadlines for tax payments and other time-sensitive acts for people living in the 12 counties that have been declared in the Presidential Disaster Area following the June floods. The counties are: Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Orange, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga, and Ulster.

The deadline to complete time-sensitive IRS acts has been extended by the agency to September 5th, 2006. Also, the IRS is waiving the failure to deposit penalty for employment and excise deposits to July 11th, 2006.
If you take advantage of the extended deadlines, you need to write “Severe Storms - NY” in red ink at the top of your tax forms. If you file electronically, use the disaster designation.

Also, if you live in the disaster area, you can claim casualty losses on your federal income tax return for either this year, or last year. The IRS says waiting to claim it on this year’s taxes may result in a greater tax saving.

Washington, DC - Suspects Held Without Bond For British Jew They Killed

Washington, DC - Three suspects have been ordered held without bond in the brutal murder of British activist and aspiring politician Alan Senitt in Georgetown. A fourth suspect appeared in juvenile court.

Senitt, who was active in Jewish causes, had moved to D.C. last month to volunteer for the potential presidential campaign of former Virginia Governor Mark Warner and to study political fundraising.

Authorities said Kristopher Piper, 25, is charged with felony murder. Jeffery Rice, 22, Olivia Miles, 26, and a 15-year-old boy also face murder charges. The boy isn't being identified because he was charged as a juvenile.

Monticello, NY - 4.9% Tax Increase

Monticello, NY - Monticello trustees passed a $6.1 million budget last night with a larger-than-anticipated property tax increase.

The increase is 4.9 percent next year, up from the original 3.6 percent proposed in the preliminary budget. The budget passed 4-0, without comment.

Later in the meeting, a half dozen residents blasted the board for the tax increase.
Trustee Scott Schoonmaker, a vocal critic of the mayor and village manager, missed the budget vote, arriving 10 minutes late for the meeting.
Mayor Jim Barnicle told Schoonmaker that the meeting started promptly at 7 p.m., and he knew that.
"I want it on the record that I am totally, totally against this budget," Schoonmaker said. "I have a complete lack of respect for this board and I think you should be ashamed of yourself to say that 4.9 percent is acceptable."

Spring Valley, NY - Ousted East Ramapo S.B. Treasurer Replaced By Long Time Critic

Spring Valley, NY - James Rose, the recently ousted treasurer of the East Ramapo school district, said that he's fine with the Board of Education's decision to replace him with long-time district critic Israel Bier.
"There's just always a lot to do," said Rose, who remains the district's business administrator. "I am only pleased to have someone else taking over a fraction of that workload."

The board's abrupt appointment of Bier, a former school board member, on stunned many who attended the meeting. Some criticized the board's decision to pay $25,000 to Bier for duties that Rose had performed for no additional compensation.

Board member Richard Stone said last week that Bier had more "depth of knowledge" than Rose.
For more than a decade, Bier has been a vocal critic of rising school taxes. As an Orthodox Jew, he and others have often argued that it's difficult for them to afford the yearly school tax increases along with their children's yeshiva tuition. Members of the Orthodox Jewish community hold seven of the board's nine seats.
Rose said that Bier "will represent the board's interests and agenda and do that better than I could."

Bombay, India +Explosions Hit Train Stations+

Bombay, India +Explosions Hit Train Stations+ Seven explosions rocked Bombay's commuter rail network during the evening rush hour, ripping apart train compartments. At least 20 people were killed.

There was chaos throughout Bombay's crowded rail network following the explosions, and authorities struggled to determine how many people had been killed and injured. Bombay Police Chief A.N. Roy said that 20 bodies had been taken to hospitals and that the death toll could go higher.

Witnesses reported seeing body parts strewn about stations, and bystanders were carrying victims to ambulances. In the background were twisted and torn train compartments. The force of the blasts ripped doors and windows off carriages, and luggage and debris were strewn about.

The spokesman for the Western Railway, confirmed that seven blasts had taken place. He said all trains had been suspended in Bombay and appealed to the public to stay away from the city's train stations.

U/D: 11:10
At least 60 people have been killed.

NYC is increasing security on all of its terminals and transits systems.

U/D: 23:20
Police have increased the death toll to 190 people, and about 439 injured.

Rome, Italy - Swastikas On Walls Of Jewish Ghetto

Rome, Italy - Residents in the Jewish quarter in Rome have had an unpleasant surprise overnight. Unidentified individuals drew at least three swastikas with blue spray on the walls of Via del Portico d'Ottavia and on a van used for deliveries.
It is most likely that the swastikas were done overnight.

U/D: 14:38
Italian Premier Romano Prodi denounced the swastikas and other graffiti scrawled on walls in a Jewish neighborhood in Rome overnight. Prodi condemned the anti-Semitic graffiti in a letter to the president of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities.

Albany, NY - Kiryas Joel Asked For Bill, That Their Public Safety Officers Could Use Flashing Lights And Sirens

Albany, NY - Kiryas Joel Village officials have outfitted five Chevy Impalas and a Jeep Cherokee with flashing red lights and sirens, as though they were police cars racing to calls.

But questions by the state police and a legal opinion from the state Attorney General's Office has led to legislation in Albany this year that would ensure Kiryas Joel's constables can use their lights and sirens.
The Attorney General's Office issued an informal opinion, telling officials in Brocton, a village of 1,500, that state law wouldn't allow its peace officers to operate flashing lights and sirens on their vehicles.

Because of that opinion and state police questions, Kiryas Joel officials asked their representatives in Albany - Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt, R-Greenwood Lake, and Sen. William Larkin, R-Cornwall-on-Hudson - to introduce a one-paragraph bill declaring that Kiryas Joel's public safety officers could use flashing lights and sirens.
Committees were reviewing their legislation, it could be taken up when lawmakers return to Albany, although Kiryas Joel Administrator said it's unnecessary because the village attorney has persuaded the state police that existing law already permits the lights and sirens. The state police couldn't confirm that resolution.

New York, NY +Hasidic With Degree From Seminary in KJ Monroe "Wasn't" Hired By The NYPD

New York, NY - A Hasidic boy from Brooklyn with a Degree From Kiryas Joel Seminary in Monroe, NY wasn't hired as part of the NYPD's newest class of recruits, he had been passed over authorities said.

Joel Witriol, 24, was four credits shy of meeting the NYPD's requirement of 60 college credits, and was not part of the latest class of 1,560 recruits.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Witriol could reapply if he fulfills the education requirement.
Witriol learned yesterday that he had been passed over, authorities said. He could not be reached for comment.

Police officials said it was not unusual, given the volume of applicants, that candidates are told at the last minute whether they should report for the recruits' first day.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn +B.Q.E N/B Traffic Alert+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn +B.Q.E N/B Traffic Alert+ A motor vehicle accident on the Northbound of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway after the Williamsburg Bridge exit, involving two vehicles and a truck with extensive prpoerty damage but no injuries, NYPD Highway Units have two lanes closed down requesting multiple tows to respond.

Brooklyn, NY - Developers Solution For Condos Meets Skepticism

Brooklyn, NY - Nearly a year has passed since the city ruled that a group of developers had violated zoning guidelines when they built five oversize buildings in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, and the owners of the 72 completed condominiums remain in an uncomfortable limbo, unable to sell or refinance their apartments.

The city said it was close to an agreement with the developers, but several condo owners said they were pessimistic, since any solution relies on the very people — the developers, their architect and Buildings Department officials — who created the mess to begin with.
To address the zoning violation, the developers, a group that includes Mendel Brach, Moshe Okin and Moses Roth, have agreed to transfer 26,025 square feet of air rights from other properties on the block to the five nine-story buildings, which are on Spencer Street between Willoughby and DeKalb Avenues.

But that would clear up only part of the problem.
After discovering the zoning violations last August, the Buildings Department inspected the buildings and encountered design flaws that it says must be remedied before they can be considered legal. These include a failure to meet standards for access by people with disabilities and a fire-safety problem: the apartment doors open directly onto the buildings' stairwells.

Israel - Management Shake-Up At ZAKA

Israel - ZAKA, the voluntary victim identification and evacuation service that is collecting bodies and body parts, and transferring them to the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir, had a major management transformation,

The organization had management responsibility transferred out of the hands of its founder, Yehuda Meshi-Zahav to Charedi newspaper publisher Dudi Zilbershlag.

Brooklyn, NY - Assemblywoman Indicted On Extortion Charges

Brooklyn, NY - A member of the New York State Assembly who represents Brooklyn has been indicted with attempting to extort contractors out of half a million dollars.

According to charges filed by the Brooklyn District Attorney, Assemblywoman Diane Gordon allegedly offered to help contractors with legislation in Albany if they would help build her house and new doors for her office. And in return, she was going to help the contractors obtain a $2 million city lot in her district.

Gordon, a Democrat, has represented the East New York section of Brooklyn in the Assembly since 2001.

Washington, DC - Synagogue Security Funding Gets Shaft

Washington, DC - Synagogues and community centers that want to harden facilities against terror attacks can't get help from the feds because stingy homeland officials won't unlock the funds Congress told them to spend.

Congress directed the federal Department of Homeland Security to hand out $25 million this year to nonprofit groups under threat - but DHS is sitting on the money, claiming there are no credible threats.

"It seems like the position of the Homeland Security Department is: We'll come running in with a bucket of water once the fire starts, but we'll do nothing to invest in smoke detectors," said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.). Republican Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) wrote Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff expressing "grave concern" that the money wasn't getting spent."

But Tracy Henke, a DHS grant official, said, "The law requires us to have credible threat. We don't have any credible threat that allows us to disseminate resources."

New Yorkers aren't buying it. "We have to be prepared to encounter whatever threat might appear on our radar screen," said a senior official at one New York City synagogue, who asked not to be identified.

U.S. troops in Afghanistan have found documents naming a dozen American Jewish groups, prompting the FBI to warn Jewish organizations in 2002 that they could be targeted.

Manhattan, NY +West Side Highway Shut Down+

Manhattan, NY +West Side Highway Shut Down+ Due to a suspicious package on the West side of manhattan at 12th Avenue and West 27th Street, the NYPD is calling for a level one mobilization and have shut down the West Side Highway in that areae.

U/D: 15:41
ESU requesting EMS and FD to stand by at W26th Street.

U/D: 16:04
Bomb Squad has properly I'd'ed the package, units to take up.

Jerusalem, Israel - Life Sentence for Terrorist Murderer Of Mir Yeshiva Bucher

Jerusalem, Israel - The Jerusalem Court handed down a life sentence plus 20 years on terrorist Abed el-Muaz, a resident of Chevron, who was found guilty for the murder of yeshiva student Shmuel Mett, 21.

Mett, a British citizen, was studying in Jerusalem’s Mir Yeshiva. He was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife by Muaz on August 21, 2005. Two other students were wounded in the attack, which occurred as they returned from the Western Wall.

NY 1st Hasidic Cop Has A Degree From United Talmudical Seminary in KJ Monroe

New York, NY - The NYPD has recruited its first Hasidic cop.
Joel Witriol, a 24-year-old from Brooklyn a Talmud scholar, starts his training at the department's Police Academy today. "I realized there were so many things you could do [as a cop] - everything from community service to fighting narcotics," Witriol said, coming off the heels of a stint with the department's auxiliary police force. "There are a hundred things, and every day is different."
Witriol has a degree from United Talmudical Seminary in Monroe, where he studied "religious stuff, mostly."
But the Brooklyn native wanted something more, he heard about the police auxiliary. "I decided to go and check it out," Witriol said. "I went for training and passed."

Growing up in Williamsburg, his auxiliary work in the 77th Precinct in Crown Heights was an eye-opener for him. "I saw a lot of things that were going on in the precinct," he said.
The police officers "are not only locking up people, but they are helping people, too. I figured it's a good future."
Before he signed on with the department, Witriol asked for some advice from his father, a bus driver. He said, "If you do it, just do the right thing," Witriol recalled.

Because of his religion, Witriol will need exemptions from police hairstyle rules so he can keep his beard and his peyoses.
He'll also have to be excused from working on Shabos and on Jewish holidays.
Witriol said the Police Department doesn't have any problem with his needs, so long as they're backed up with a letter from a rabbi.

Witriol says his older brother was also an officer in Newark before becoming one of that department's chaplains.

Though his religion sets him apart, Witriol is eager to fit in with his fellow officers. "I want to be a cop," he said, "together with everyone."

Kosher Meat Alert, Agriprocessors Products Suspended From Some Stores

All stores that were carrying Rubashkin brand pre-packaged Glatt kosher red meats that were supplied by, A & L purveyors, are now carrying MealMart fresh kosher pre-packaged meats. These include Shoppers Food Warehouse, Wegman, Giant Food, Magruder, and Harris Teeter.

Also, Trader Joe's stores that carry David's kosher beef products have suspended deliveries of David's fresh kosher pre-packaged ground beef due to a problem with the packaging of this product. The product had been arriving in poor condition.

The Agriprocessors company in Postville Iowa that produces this product as well as Rubashkin and Aaron's meats told Trader Joe's that they would correct the problem as soon as possible. Trader Joe's are still carrying David's kosher steaks as well as Rubashkin kosher Turkey breasts and Empire Kosher poultry products in all of their stores in Virginia and Maryland.

Trader Joe's promised that they would let know when David's fresh kosher pre-packaged ground beef will again be available in their stores.

Abu Kabir, Israel - Charedim Protest Autopsy Of Drowned Child

Abu Kabir, Israel - Hundreds of Charedim from Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beis Shemesh and Ashdod were on their way to the L. Greenberg Forensics Institute at Abu Kabir to protest the intended autopsy on eight-year-old Shimon Zwicker of Itamar, whose body was discovered on Nitzanim Beach this morning.

The case has been transferred to senior political officials after Ashkelon Police insisted on the autopsy despite the general consensus of forensics experts in the institute that it was unnecessary.

Brooklyn, NY - Police Shutter Prince Lefferts Hotel

Brooklyn, NY - NYPD of the 88th Pct shut down Clinton Hill's Prince Lefferts Hotel. An officer parked near the hotel said police had been monitoring the area 24 hours a day since the court order to close the building, which stands at 127 Lefferts Place.

Police had been trying to get permission from the Brooklyn Supreme Court to close the hotel under the nuisance abatement law, now action came as part of an initiative within the 88th precinct, to eliminate quality-of-life crimes in Clinton Hill.

The owner of the building, Moses Fried, a 76-year-old Holocaust survivor who has worked as a real estate manager in Brooklyn for decades, said that he never sanctioned any quality-of-life crimes there. Mr. Fried said. I'm a Jewish religious man. I would never permit to run something like this there.

Manhattan, NY +G.W. Bridge Closed+

Manhattan, NY +G.W. Bridge Closed+ The upper level of the New York bound of the George Washington Bridge has been shut down due to an accident on the span, delays to the bridge are now over an hour.

U/D: 13:27
Bridge is back open.

New York, NY - City Adds Funds For Jewish Schools

New York, NY - The New York City government is starting quietly to fund local parochial schools.

The City Council is allocating $1 million of taxpayer money in this year's budget to purchase school buses for Jewish schools.

Because the money is tucked into the council's thick budget, and because the amounts are small relative to the $15 billion a year spent on the city's public schools, most public school advocates and education experts said that they had not heard about the funding.

Under state law, the city is obligated to provide the same transportation for parochial school students as for public school students. The city this year is giving an Orthodox Jewish group, Agudath Israel of America, $1 million to distribute to Jewish schools to buy their own buses.

The funding for the buses came at the behest of a Democratic City Council member, Simcha Felder, who represents the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Boro Park in Brooklyn.

Goshen, NY - Showdown Over Anti-Semitism

Goshen, NY - Some have suggested that anti-Semitism was the elephant in the room last week during the Orange Legislature's vote to block the Hasidic Village of Kiryas Joel's request to build two water tanks in an undeveloped county park. Perhaps, instead, the proverbial elephant was Goshen-based real estate salesman Robert Lawrence Jr.

As with prior KJ vs. the World votes in the Legislature, Lawrence took the podium in Goshen and charged that bigotry, was the true motivation for the resolution. "Make no mistake about the path that I'm taking to tonight," he began. "That path is defending my Jewish friends, or any other minority or religion, from economic terrorism."
But when that path led Lawrence to compare KJ's critics to a certain German dictator - "We all know about the man who did this in the 1940s," he said - the crowd of more than 100 erupted in furor.

"What's your commission?" a man in the back of the room shouted, a clear reference to the Sullivan County land deal that this newspaper has reported Lawrence is discussing with Kiryas Joel officials.
But the anti-Semitism showdown only escalated after Michael Crean of Blooming Grove took the podium to refute Lawrence. The pair exchanged words and briefly laid hands on each other, as the man made his way back to his seat.
A sheriff's deputy separated them. Later, lawmakers devoted a large portion of their comments trying to cool down the bigotry debate. Legislator Roxanne Donnery, D-Highland Halls, in particular, blasted Lawrence.
"He came to inflame crowd," Donnery later said. "He was trying to incite the crowd, and he was very effective at what he did."

Monticello, NY - 20% Increase in Kosher Food Sales in Catskills

Monticello, NY - Cholov Yisrael milk is available at the Stewart's shop in Fallsburg, NY and so are kosher foods in nearly a dozen gas station marts enroute to the Catskill Mountains.
New York State officials, according to Bernard Freilich, a liaison to the State Police, report of a sharp increase in the number of vehicles traveling to the mountains, as many as 400,000 Jews, many from such Chasidic communities as Monroe and Williamsburg.

Kosher distributors have also noticed the sharp rise in the demand for kosher foods. A large number of the summer dwellers have built magnificent summer homes to accommodate their growing families, largely responsible for the Catskills explosion.

One distributor said that sales will jump 20% this year, as a result of the rising demand. He said that while the hotel business is virtually non-existent with the notable exception of such hotels as the Homowack in Spring Glen, there was a significant business with the large number of camps in the resort area.

Russia +Chechen Rebel Leader Killed+

Russia +Chechen Rebel Leader Killed+ Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev has been killed by the Russia's special forces.

Manhattan, NY +Major Collapse+

Manhattan, NY +Major Collapse+ NYPD are calling for a level one mobilization for a 25x75 4.5 story doctors office and beauty salon and reidential above building that completely collapsed poss gas fed explosion at 34 East 62th Street between Madison and Park Avenue's building is on fire and some people are reported trapped. All special services responding.
Two other buildings involved.

U/D: 09:18
FD calling for a 3rd alarm and a 10-60 has been transmitted, and requesting Con-Ed on a rush for the gas fed fire.

U/D: 09:48
FD upgrading to a 4th Alarm.
EMS is transporting 4 victims one is a firefighter.

U/D: 10:19
Fire upgradet to a 5th alarm.
One aided is trapped and critically burned.

As per Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scopetta, A doctor on the first floor office may have attempted suicide, an e-mail was received earlier from the doctor.
Heavy oder of gas has been reported before explosion and collapse.

U/D: 11:29
Fire Chief is placing this fire as P/W/H.
OEM on the scene reporting a total of 6 aided injured with one critical trauma, 0 fatalities.

U/D: 11:56
Fire Chief is transmitting a 6th alarm for relief purposes only.

A total of 15 were injured in the explosion/collapse.

The doctor whose building was destroyed the explosion was involved in a bitter divorce battle and has been accused of traumatizing his Jewish wife by placing Nazi paraphernalia throughout their home, according to court records.

Orange County, NY - Residents Mobilize Against KJ

Orange County, NY - In southern Blooming Grove, residents pour into a firehouse and vote overwhelmingly to form their own village, even if that means placing another layer of government over themselves.

A week later, two other momentous votes: one to stop Kiryas Joel from erecting water storage tanks on Orange County parkland and the other to let a developer build 451 homes in neighboring Woodbury.
Three closely watched votes in the space of a week, all tied directly or indirectly to Kiryas Joel and its growth. Each outcome reflected, to some degree, a growing determination by neighbors to prevent the village from encroaching.

Take the decision in Woodbury.
"Granted, it's going to create more volume," supporter Steve Gunset reasoned after the board vote. "But if Kiryas Joel were to get it, it would create 30 times that volume."

The three recent votes have underscored this new political landscape, one of perpetual conflict for Kiryas Joel's leaders.
"We're very concerned and nervous about the reaction of ordinary people," the village administrator, said. "We believe that ordinary people are misled by a few who want to use Kiryas Joel to scare people away."

But those on the opposite side of the debate make a similar charge about Kiryas Joel's leaders - that their tactics and rhetoric invite opposition, to the detriment of their constituents, and as a repudiation of the insensitivity of Kiryas Joel's leadership. "They are all, in one way or another, reactions to the way that the village administrator deals with his neighbors, which is to say, with disdain," they say.

"Kiryas Joel doesn't want to take over Woodbury," Szegedin said. "Kiryas Joel doesn't want to take over Monroe. Kiryas Joel doesn't want to take over Blooming Grove. We want to provide for the couple of hundred marriages that take place in Kiryas Joel in a year."

Crown Heights, Brooklyn +Pedestrian Struck+

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck in front of 715 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. Hatzolah responding.

Washington, DC - Jewish Groups Press For More Homeland Security Funds

Washington, DC - Jewish groups gratefully absorbed more than half of the homeland security funds last year aimed at protecting nonprofits -- and they're campaigning to make sure the money keeps flowing.

An array of Jewish groups nationwide is just now beginning to spend the $14 million of the $25 million mandated by Congress in 2005 to secure at-risk nonprofit groups. Another $25 million mandated in the 2006 budget is mired in intergovernmental infighting.

Jewish Communities, are lobbying to make sure the $25 million allocation survives in the Homeland Security Department's 2007 budget, due to be referred this week to the full Senate.
"We believe there is a critical threat against Jewish community assets in the United States," William Daroff, the UJC's vice president for public policy and its top Washington lobbyist, said. "It doesn't take a brain surgeon to see that Jewish institutions are near the top of the terrorists' list."

The $14 million that Jewish groups received in the 2005 budget reached 18 communities.
No organization could apply for more than $100,000, though some federations received more because they housed multiple applicants on the same campus, anf New York's Jewish community was by far the leader in receiving funds, getting about $4.5 million of $6.3 million allocated to nonprofits in the city.

Waterbury, CT - Orthodox Jews Look To Make Mikvah

Waterbury, CT - Members of Waterbury's growing Orthodox Jewish enclave hope to turn a little gray ranch-style home at the end of Roseland Avenue into a place of ritual purification, further cementing their community's future in the city. But first, they will need permission of the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The house lies in a Residential Low Density zoning district, where only single- and two-family homes would be allowed under city building rules. The group that bought the house hopes to use an exemption that allows houses of worship to establish virtually anywhere.
The house is slated to become a Mikvah, essentially a place of ritual purification that contains a pool in which visitors dip themselves.

In 2001, a small Orthodox community was invited to lease the former University of Connecticut campus on Hillside Avenue to establish its religious school, Yeshiva Gedolah. The agreement between the Yeshiva and the city came with conditions, including that the Orthodox community bring in 100 families within seven years. Less than six years later, that goal has been exceeded.

Even though the Mikvah is a religious use, it still is subject to certain building codes and on July 19, representatives for the Waterbury Community Mikvah LLC will ask the city's Zoning Board of Appeals for a few waivers.
The 8,945-square-foot lot is only about one-fourth the size normally required for a property hosting a religious structure, and the house doesn't meet setback requirements from the street or its neighbors.
These restrictions were put in place to mitigate noise issues associated with houses of worship that would host large crowds in short periods, City Planner James Sequin said. Here, the planned use would have far less impact on neighbors than was anticipated under zoning rules, he said. "This is not going to be a synagogue with congregations of people coming," Sequin said. "It's not like a bathhouse. It's not like a health spa. It's like a purification ceremony done by appointment."

Manhattan, NY +Transit Alert Suspension+

Manhattan, NY +Transit Alert Suspension+ The NYC Subways #6 Line and Astor Place is suspended between the Brooklyn Bridge and 42nd Street, the #4 & #5 express trains resumes with a slow down, due to a fatal electrocution of a pedestrian lying dead on the 3rd rail and was confirmed DOA on arrival, service is suspended on both ways.

Tarzana, CA - LA Mayor Helps Open Vandalized Synagogue

Tarzana, CA - The mayor of Los Angeles has helped open the new Orthodox synagogue, after vandals tried to burn it.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and several Orthodox Jews carried heavy Torahs in a procession for about a half mile to a new synagogue that was vandalized in a hate crime as reported today on VOS IZ NEIAS.
Villaraigosa led the faithful from the old synagogue to the new one in the midday sun., though many struggled to keep up with the physically-fit mayor. According to the marchers, the Torahs weigh between 40 and 50 pounds.

About 600 people packed the new building when the 250-member procession arrived from the old synagogue, which was held in a Reseda office building.

Parviz Hakimi, the synagogue's vice president said that members of his congregation were "very much saddened with this incident, but I'm sure this is an isolated event and doesn't reflect on the community."
"From every bad thing always comes good things and maybe the people who did this will see this act of vandalism and come to their sense and change their way of life," Hakimi said.

Long Branch, NJ +Child Struck+

Monmouth County, Long Branch, NJ +Child Struck+ Police Department is on the scene for a motor vehicle accident with a child that was struck by an auto on Adams Street off Ocean Avenue, Hatzolah BLS ans Monoc ALS responded to the scene.

San Jose, CA - Defrocked Rabbi Cannot Violate Anonymous Bloggers First Amendment Rights

San Jose, CA - A rabbi’s petition to disclose the identities of anonymous bloggers who wrote on the Internet about him should be denied, Public Citizen said in motions being filed in the California Superior Court for Santa Clara County.
The plaintiff, Orthodox rabbi Mordechai Tendler, who served a congregation in New Hempstead, N.Y., was accused of abuse and harassment by some whom he had been advising. Tendler was expelled from the Rabbinical Council of America in March 2005, sued by one of his accusers in December 2005 and dismissed from his rabbinical post by his congregation in 2006.

Many Internet blogs covered the investigation of Tendler’s alleged misconduct. In an effort to fight back against the accusations, Tendler has sought to reveal the identities of four bloggers who wrote about his case on Blogspot sites.
Tendler filed a case in San Jose, Calif., in order to obtain enforceable subpoenas directed to Google, which operates Blogspot, compelling it to disclose information identifying four bloggers.

But Public Citizen said in their motions “Full First Amendment protection applies to communications on the Internet, and longstanding precedent recognizes that speakers have a First Amendment right to communicate anonymously, so long as they do not violate the law in doing so,” the motion reads.
“The right to criticize anonymously on the Internet is a fundamental free speech right and an important tool for whistleblowers and consumers who speak out against big companies or public figures for misconduct or corruption,” said Paul Alan Levy, the Public Citizen attorney who filed the motion.

Siberia - Jewish Organizations Pledge Support For The A310 Plane Crash Survivors

Siberia - Jewish Communities of Irkutsk are ready to provide its moral and financial support to the people injured in the A310 airliner crash in Siberia early on Sunday morning.

Irkutsk's Jewish community is working closely with the task force investigating the air crash to learn more about the fate of foreign citizens who were aboard the plane, the city's Chief Rabbi Aaron Wagner said.

"Numerous phone calls are coming from people abroad who ask about their relatives because a very large number of people were traveling to [Lake] Baikal as tourists at that time," he said. "The Jewish community of Irkutsk is currently trying to establish whether there were citizens of Israel and the U.S. of Jewish origin among the airliner's passengers, and what might have happened to them," he added.
Stewardess Viktoria Zilberstein was injured in the A310 crash. She is believed to have played a large role in rescuing passengers when a fire erupted on board the plane, he said.

Members of Irkutsk's Jewish Center will gather at a local synagogue to pray for those killed and injured in the air crash.

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on Ocean Parkway amd Avenue "M" involving an Hatzolah member, has Hatzolah requesting for a coordinator and additional BLS units to respond to the scene.

Washington, DC - British Jew Killed On Shabos

Washington, DC - Alan Senitt, 27, who was the former chairman of the British Union of Jewish Students, was stabbed to death in an apparent robbery on Shabos in the Georgetown area on 31st and Q while walking home.

Alan, who was working in the US capital took on roles working for the All-Party British-Israel Parliamentary Group and the British Israel Communications and Research Centre and was involved in a project bringing Muslim and Jewish leaders together to combat prejudice.
Alan was also involved in local politics and stood for the Labour Party in May's local council election.

Two adult males, a minor male and a woman were all charged on Sunday with his murder, said Washington police spokesman Sgt. Joe Gentile.

Israel - Rumsfeld Visit Scrapped

Israel - Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld reportedly canceled a visit to Israel in light of the flare-up in Gaza Strip fighting.

Rumsfeld, who was expected for high-level talks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv next week, canceled the trip out of concern it could be perceived as open U.S. support for Israel's offensive in Gaza.
It would have been the first Israel visit for Rumsfeld since he took over the Pentagon, serving, among other purposes, to show bilateral ties had been repaired following a fracas last year over Israeli arms exports to China. The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv had no immediate comment on the report.

Manhattan, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Manhattan, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on the Upper West side of Manhattan, at W96th Street and Columbus Avenue, Hatzolah responding.

Brooklyn, NY - House Of Horrors For Sale By Owner

Brooklyn, NY - The "house of horrors" where Nixzmary Brown was beaten to death is up for sale by its owner.

The three-story brick building on Greene Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant has been put on the market by owner Chaim Schwartz for $699,000 - and there's an open house scheduled for today.
The walk-up building is divided into five apartments - including the second-floor, three-bedroom apartment where cops say Nixzmary, 7, died at the hands of stepdad Cesar Rodriguez on Jan. 11.

Cops called the apartment where the family lived a "house of horrors" because of Nixzmary's alleged abuse, starvation and punishment there. She was just 34 pounds when she died.

Today, little remains to remind visitors of the horrors. The whole apartment has been painted and fixed, including a completely renovated bathroom and kitchen and new mattresses in all three bedrooms.

Brooklyn, NY - Cell-Phone Chain Owner Admits $2 Million Fraud

Brooklyn, NY - The owner of a chain of cell-phone stores in Brooklyn admitted he illegally made $2 million through two schemes, using credit and other information provided by customers.

Mayer Vaknin, 43, the owner of Cellular Island, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and identity theft. Most of the eight Cellular Island stores are located in or around the Fulton Street Mall in Downtown Brooklyn.

According to an investigation by the Secret Service and State and New York City police, the schemes depended on Vaknin's having credit and cell-phone information and Social Security numbers of customers, plus a subcontract to sell T-Mobile phones and services.

In one of the schemes, Vaknin defrauded 900 customers by having associates use the customers' credit and other information to purchase 1,940 T-Mobile cell phones. Vaknin then sold the phones in his stores, officials said.
In the second scheme, Vaknin gained illegal commissions and bonuses from T-Mobile by falsely reporting that the customers had requested service upgrades, service plans or contract renewals, officials said. T-Mobile has canceled the charges made to the victims' accounts, officials said.

Vaknin could face up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge David Trager. In addition, Vaknin has agreed to forfeit to the federal government an apartment in the South Beach section of Miami worth $500,000 and a Hummer H2 worth $70,000, officials said.

White Lake, NY +MVA With Overturned+

Sullivan County, White Lake, NY +MVA With Overturned+ A motor vehicle accident on Brender Highway in front of TRT Bungalow Colony with one vehicle that overturned with aided trapped inside. Hatzolah was responding but then canceled all incoming units, PD and EMS were on the scene, Stat Flight Medevac was placed on standby.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Shots Fired At Shomrim Patrol Member+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Shots Fired At Shomrim Patrol Member+ Early this morning Boro Park Shomrim Patrol, were responding to a suspicious person roaming the Borough Park streets. upon approach perp fired shots throughts one of the Shomrim members but falling in his aim, Members called a 10-13 for NYPD and more members to assist but perp got away.
No one was injured in this incedent.

Another perp was apprehended, while members were on patrol, for mail theft from a pharmacy.

Monsey, NY - Apartment Building Fire Saved By Sprinkler System

Monsey, NY - A grease fire that broke out in a three-family house at 24 Ralph Blvd. in Monsey Thursday afternoon, was extinguished by a sprinkler system before the family even knew.
The cabinets, the wall and the kitchen ceiling were all ablaze, but the sprinklers went off and saved the house, and saved the family, said Monsey Fire Chief Andrew Schlissel. "A baby was sleeping in the other room, and they didn't know there was a fire until the sprinklers and the smoke detector went off."

An update of the county fire codes in 2001 required such systems in structures that house three or more families. But, Schlissel said, the more stringent codes weren't yet in effect when 24 Ralph Blvd. was under construction. But the builder pushed for the system anyway, Schlissel said, and the reluctant owner eventually agreed.
"She's very glad," he said of the installation. "She could have lost the whole house."

County Fire and Emergency Services Coordinator Gordon Wren Jr. said the fires illustrated how a relatively modest cost could save lives. "In residential, it costs about as much as carpeting," Wren said of sprinkler systems.

Hollywood, FL - Judge Accepts Synagogue vs City Settlement

Hollywood, FL - A federal judge approved a legal settlement between the city of Hollywood and an Orthodox synagogue, officially ending the five-year feud.

The unexpected close to the case came a day after six angry neighbors of the synagogue filed a motion to join the case at the last minute in hopes of dismantling the settlement, which would allow the congregation to stay in two single-family homes permanently.

The deal means the city and Commissioner Sal Oliveri will avoid facing a federal religious discrimination lawsuit from the synagogue and the U.S. Justice Department.
The city also is required to rewrite the zoning criteria used to grant permits to religious groups that want to operate in single-family districts.

Tarzana, CA - Synagogue Vandalism Won't Affect Todays Opening

Tarzana, CA - Synagogue Beis David set to open for the first time today was attacked by vandals, who scrawled anti-Semitic slurs on its windows and left a mound of burning debris at its back entrance.

Firefighters found a burning pile of carpet pieces and cardboard set at the back entrance of the newly converted Orthodox synagogue on Clark Street. A sprinkler system had doused some of the flames, but the oak doors of the synagogue were charred.

"It is definitely being looked at as a hate crime," said Investigator Thomas Derby of the Los Angeles Fire Department, which is part of the House of Worship Task Force, a multi-agency unit that includes the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Vandals had also left pieces of paper hanging out of the tailpipe of one of the trucks parked in the back lot, perhaps to set it on fire, and tore out plants from a nearby flower bed. The Synagogue suffered about $9,000 in damage but still plans to open today.
No arrests have been made.

Monsey, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Monsey, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on the cornor of Rita Avenue and Route 306, Hatzolah responding.

U/D: 08:48
Hatzolah on the scene downgrading the call to a Code-2.