Brazil - Synagogue Damaged by Molotov Cocktails

Brazil - A synagogue in southeastern Brazil sustained minor damage after attackers threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at the building Shabbos morning.

Three or four unidentified people attacked the synagogue in Campinas, about 60 miles north of Sao Paulo, and painted "Lebanon, the true Holocaust".
Windows and the synagogue's main entrance were damaged but no one was injured in the incident. A small fire broke out but was rapidly contained by passers-by. No arrests had been made.

London - Thousands March In Protest At Lebanon Violence

London - Thousansds of demonstrators - organisers said 100,000, police said 20,000 - marched through central London Saturday to protest the conflict in Lebanon and urge an immediate ceasefire.

A petition signed by thousands was handed in a Downing Street for perusal by Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom organisers accused of failing to act decisively in urging an immediate ceasefire.
'The British public is outraged by what's happening in Lebanon,' said Lindsey German of the Stop the War Coalition which organised the march.
Participants included MPs of Blair's Labour Party and a group of Orthodox Jews. The organisers asked demonstrators to leave children's shoes at the Cenotaph - London's main war memorial - in protest at the deaths of children in the conflict.

South Falsburg, NY +MVA+

South Falsburg, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident at the Four Corners in South Falsburg, Hatzolah on the scene requesting Medics plus a corodinator to respond to the scene also requesting two ambulances.

New York, NY - Heat Wave Death Toll Doubles In City

New York, NY - An additional 10 deaths were certified by the city medical examiner's office on Saturday as being caused by the three-day heat wave earlier in the week, bringing New York City's total heat-related deaths to 20.
That's 10 more than what was reported on VOS IZ NEIAS just Friday.

Ramallah, West Bank - Israel Holds Palestinian Speaker

Ramallah, West Bank - Israeli forces arreted Palestinian parliamentary Speaker Aziz Dweik, a Hamas leader, during a raid in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Israel - Four Dead in Shabbas Rocket Attacks

Israel - Shabbas afternoon, 120 rockets slammed into communities throughout all of northern Israel. A total of 170 rockets landed during the day.

Three women were killed by rockets in the Bedouin village of Arab al-Aramshe. A 60-year-old woman and her daughers, 31, and 33, all perished in the attacks.

Also 87-year-old Freida Kellner of Kiryat Ata died of a heart attack. She took cover in a bomb shelter after sirens sounded, suffered a heart attack and was transported to Chaifa’s Rambam Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Spring Valley, NY - Police Investigate Break-Ins At Jewish Center

Spring Valley, NY - A Jewish community center on Main Street was vandalized for the seventh time today.
During the past two months, vandals have stolen computers and other equipment, destroyed property and left anti-Semitic graffiti, police and building tenants said.

The building has been leased to several organizations, and had been the longtime home of Yeshiva of Rockland and the Jewish Community Center. The new owners, Bnos Esther Pupa, takes over in September.

Sgt. Peter Russell said door windows inside the building were found broken.
On July 2, they left anti-Semitic graffiti spray-painted on a wall behind the building, Russell said. Another time, a teacher's desk calendar had the words "Hitler" written on it.
Mona Montel, a tenant in the spacious building for years, said yesterday that the break-ins, thefts and vandalism started "out of the blue seven weeks ago." "We've been at the same location for 15 to 20 years and never had a problem," Montel said.

New York, NY +Death Toll From Heat Wave Climbing+

New York, NY +Death Toll From Heat Wave Climbing+ The death toll from this week's scorching heat climbed to at least 10 Friday
after the New York medical examiner's offices released the most recent autopsy results.

Fallsburg, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Sullivan County, Fallsburg, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident on Route 42 near Gamble Road with a pedestrian that was struck, Hatzolah BLS and ALS are working on the scene.

Cudahy, WI - Man Arrested Defacing Buildings With Swastikas

Cudahy, WI - A 54-year-old Cudahy man was arrested after he was spotted drawing swastikas on a store and then admitted to defacing more than 20 other businesses with the Nazi symbol.

Police said in a statement that a woman called police to report a man drawing swastikas on the outside of the store.
Police found the man nearby, and he told officers, "If you are looking for the Nazi, it is me," the department said.

New York - Former Police Commissioner Kerik Again Under Investigation

New York - Federal authorities are investigating the former police commissioner Bernard Kerik, for his involvement in a foundation that he oversaw while head of the city's Correction Department.

The inquiry by the FBI and federal prosecutors focuses on possible financial improprieties involving the foundation, which was run by the Correction Department.

In 1995, the foundation asked tobacco companies to send checks to the city. Under an earlier rebate program, city jails would receive promotional clothing, sporting goods and other merchandise in exchange for rebate points on cigarette packs. At the time that Correction Department officials said they used the rebate money to produce promotional videos and throw holiday parties for inmates, but that they refused to release documents itemizing the foundation's spending.
The group's treasurer, then-deputy police commissioner Frederick Patrick, pleaded guilty in July 2003 to stealing more than $137,000 from the foundation. He was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, a term that ended last July.

News of this new investigation comes more than a month after Kerik pleaded guilty to charges that he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in gifts while he was correction commissioner. The federal probe is not related to those charges.

Kerik's lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said, "I'm not going to justify a rumor like that with a comment.''

New York - Kosher Industry Deals with Obesity Concerns

New York - There has been a noticeable increase in the availability of kosher fat-free and sugar-free foods in both retail and foodservice, food industry sources say.

Kosher restaurants in Brooklyn routinely offer fat-free items on the menu, ranging from muffins to tuna salads. Retailers say that consumers are buying more sugar-free and fat-free salad dressings, sauces, pastries, ice cream, and even breads.
Some food industry sources say that kosher consumers are buying into the growing national health concerns over obesity.

One physician parent said: “It is important for the kosher food industry to pay heed to this major health concern in our midst.” In the past 3 years, the number of kosher products targeting the health concerns of kosher consumers has risen dramatically at the annual Kosherfest.

This year’s Kosherfest 2006 takes place November 14-15 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

Israel - More Civilians And Soldiers Killed

Israel - A mother of two was killed in a rocket attack on the village of Maghar, near Tiberias, as Hezbollah poured at least 135 rockets into northern Israel. Two more people were killed in the villages of Majdal Krum and Dir el-Assad by rockets Friday evening. Another 86 people were injured in Friday’s strikes.

Two soldiers were killed in gunbattles in the village of Markabe in southern Lebanon when an anti-tank missile was launched at their force.
More than 70 Israelis have been killed since Hezbollah began the war July 12, including some 30 civilians. At least 530 Lebanese have been killed, including many civilians.

U/D: 14:41
Israeli police confirm two or three rockets hit the Hadera area -- furthest point yet south of the Lebanese border. Initial reports indicate no casualties.

Brooklyn, NY - Architect Settles Charges

Brooklyn, NY - Robert M. Scarano Jr., an architect who has been active during Brooklyn’s construction boom, agreed to settle charges brought by the Buildings Department that he violated zoning rules or building codes in the design of more than two dozen apartment buildings.

The city said that many of his buildings were larger than allowed by zoning, and it also charged that he failed to guarantee safe conditions at a construction site where a worker was killed in March.
Mr. Scarano agreed to drop out of a program that allows architects to approve their own plans without regular review from the Buildings Department. His building designs will now have to be approved by city examiners.
The settlement specified that it was not an admission of guilt or liability by Mr. Scarano.

Greene County, NY - Catskill Game Farm Closing Down

Greene County, NY - The Catskill Game Farm, a combination zoo and hands-on animal farm in Greene County, will close for good in the fall, bringing a 73-year tradition to an end.
Owner Kathie Schultz said the Catskill area simply doesn't have the drawing power it once enjoyed and young people don't enjoy visiting a farm as much as children of previous decades.

But the straw that broke the camel's back, Schultz said, was a new state regulation that forced her to shut down a water play area called a "splash pad." Schultz said the state decision was based on problems with a splash
pad in a western New York park, but she insists hers was up to code and functioning properly.

"It's not fair to the rest of us who do it properly," she said. "After I put all that money into that, now I have to close it."

The Catskill Came Farm will close on Oct. 9.

Schultz's father, Roland Lindemann, founded the Catskill Game Farm in 1933 and grew it into a full-fledged zoo that included areas where visitors could feed and have personal contact with animals.

Mesa AZ +Two Arrested for Serial Shootings+

Mesa AZ +Two Arrested for Serial Shootings+ PD are on the scene in Mesa AZ and they have arrested two perps in connection with dozens of shootings, six of them fatal, that have terrorized Phoenix area residents over the last two years in what's become known as the "Serial Shooter" case.

"We do have two suspects in custody," Sgt. Andy Hill said, "They're at Phoenix police headquarters in the Serial Shooter case."

The arrests were made at an apartment complex in Mesa, one person was being held as the alleged shooter and the other as the alleged driver.


U/D: 13:34
"These are the two monsters we've been hunting," said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, after police announced the arrest of two suspects in the city's "Serial Shooter" case.

Philadelphia, PA - Victims Can Sue German Firms For Interest On Payments

Philadelphia, PA - Victims of Nazi-era crimes can pursue additional money from German companies that paid $2.5 billion into a reparation fund for U.S. claims, a federal appeals court ruled.

The victims can sue for interest stemming from a six- to nine-month period when they say payments to the fund were delayed, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia said.
The decision reverses a lower-court ruling that said the dispute over interest was a political question, not a matter for the courts, because U.S. and German officials had negotiated the 1999 fund agreement.

The German firms argued that the agreement capped their interest payments at 100 million Deutsche marks, or about $50 million at the time. The six named plaintiffs, all Nazi camp survivors living in the U.S., argued that the figure represented the minimum amount of interest, not a cap.

Through the fund, victims received $500 to $15,000 each for years of forced labor.

St. Louis, MO - Mistaken Synagogue Sale is Rescinded by Judge

St. Louis, MO - Judge Thomas C. Grady of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court set aside the mistaken sale of the Central Congregation Synagogue.

A clerical mix-up stemming from back taxes owed on a house belonging to the synagogue, led to the auctioning of the synagogue building itself for $11,800 at 5020 Waterman Boulevard.
The St. Louis Sheriff's Department was ordered to refund Theodore V. Haynes II the $11,800 he paid for the $4.5 million synagogue in a public auction last month. "The (city's) attorney saw this through and corrected the error and we're pleased," said Sheila Greenbaum, an attorney for the synagogue.

North Miami Beach, FL - Vandals Strike Yeshiva Toras Emes

North Miami Beach, FL - Vandals target Yeshiva Toras Emes Academy of Miami at 11th Avenue and NE 164th Street. There were graffiti of swastikas painted on the sidewalk near the boy's school, and inside was a wreck.

The school was broken into twice, and the graffiti was found on many of the inside walls, tables and garbage cans. The exterior walls facing the court yard and interior of the complex had similar graffiti.

Police are working the case.

London, UK - Jewish Heirs To Sell Returned Kirchner Painting

London, UK - A painting returned to the heirs of its Jewish owners by a German museum last month will go under the hammer at Christie's in New York on November 8 and is expected to fetch $18-25 million.
The street scene by German expressionist artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is the latest valuable work of restituted art to be sold on quickly by new owners.

Andreas Rumbler, head of Christie's Germany, called Kirchner's 1913 work "Street Scene, Berlin" "the most significant German Expressionist picture ever to come to auction".
He added that while it was not clear exactly how it was taken from its owners, the Jewish collectors Alfred and Thekla Hess, it was assumed that the Nazis were involved. "It is believed this was a forced sale which was not planned with the knowledge of the widow Thekla Hess," Rumbler said. "Money was paid by the collector in 1937, but we have to assume the widow never saw the money.
"We have to assume it was taken by the Nazis."

Thompson, NY - Illegal Parkers Beware For Parking Violations Crackdown

Thompson, NY - Officials and local police are talking about cracking down on parking violators.
The town already has parking fines in place but is considering revamping the fine amounts.

The new fines might range from $250 to $400 for illegally parking in a handicapped spot; $50-$125 for double-parking and $20-$80 for lingering in a no-parking zone.

The town Councilmen like the idea of putting envelopes - along with parking tickets - on drivers' windshields - making it easier for them to pay fines. The county sheriff's department proposed the idea during a recent meeting with Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini, having the envelopes will make it easier to collect the revenue.

Bronx, NY +Retirement Home Evacuated+

Bronx, NY +Retirement Home Evacuated+ For the second time this week power losses forced resident of the Atria Riverdale Retirement Home to evacuate.

The 12 story nursing home building, located on the Henry Hudson Parkway at 238th Street and Johnson Avenue, had to be evacuated to the next door synagogue after it's power was reduced leaving more than 150 elderly residents without air conditioning, NYPD of the 50th Pct, O.E.M. And Con-Ed were on the scene.

Queens, NY +Unusual Incident at J.F.K.+

Queens, NY +Unusual Incident at J.F.K.+ PAPD is requesting ESU to respond to J.F.K. Airport at Terminal 4 to help out in the search for a lost cougar at the airport.

Passaic, NJ +Serious MVA+

Passaic, NJ +Serious MVA+ A serious motor vehicle accident on Main Avenue at Van Houten in Passaic NJ. Hatzolah BLS and ALS were responding transporting two aided to Hackensack one in serious condition.

Marlboro, NJ - Rabbi Accused of Abusing Synagogue Funds

Marlboro, NJ - A former New Jersey rabbi allegedly spent more than $100,000 of synagogue funds for personal use.

Peter Light, 47, had been a rabbi at Marlboro Jewish Center in Marlboro, N.J., for roughly two years before resigning.
During that time, he allegedly used synagogue funds for his personal needs.

Light told the synagogue board members he was using the money to help Hurricane Katrina refugees.
A police investigation is ongoing.

Sullivan County +Thunderstorm Warning+

New York, Sullivan County +Thunderstorm Warning+ A severe thunderstorm warning with heavy rains and wind gusts of 70 MPH has been issued for Sullivan County, until 1630 hours.


U/D: 16:11
Numerous trees and wires are down in Sullivan and Ulster.
Reports of some power outages in parts of Swan Lake and Woodridge, NY.

U/D: 17:14
Power back on in Swan Lake, NY

Monticello, NY +MVA+

Monticello, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on West bound of Route 17 between Exit 105 and 104, Hatzolah responding Code-2.

Expect some delays in the area due to lane closures.

Lebanon - Hizbollah Threatens Tel Aviv If Central Beirut Hit

Beirut, Lebanon - Hizbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that his guerrillas would fire rockets at Tel Aviv if Israel attacked central Beirut.
"If you strike Beirut, the Islamic Resistance will strike Tel Aviv and it is able to do so," Nasrallah said in a taped televised message.

He said Hizbollah would end its rocket attacks on northern Israel if the Jewish state stopped attacking civilian areas in Lebanon.
"(If) at any time you decide to stop your campaigns on our cities, suburbs, civilians and infrastructure, we won't strike with rockets any settlement or Israeli city ..." he said.


U/D: 15:22
Israel is preparing to deploy troops deeper into Lebanon. Defense Minister Amir Peretz told Israeli army officials Thursday to take troops to the Litani River in Lebanon, apparently in an effort to take over rocket launch sites.

U/D:
Israel says if Tel Aviv is bomed they will destroy ALL Lebanons infastructure.

Manhattan, NY +Water & Electrical Problems at Columbia Hospital+

Manhattan, NY +Water & Electrical Problems at Columbia Hospital+ The Columbia Presbyterian Hospital at 622 West 168th Street in Manhattan, NY is experiencing electrical problems due to the weather, the entire hospital is now operating on back-up generators.

The electrical condition is also causing water problems for the hospital.

Detroit, MI - FBI Monitors Area for Hezbollah Related Activity

Detroit, MI - Federal agents are keeping close tabs on the Detroit area for activity related to Hezbollah.

The FBI has renewed contacts with informants, held private meetings with Arab-American and Muslim leaders and voiced concern about public support shown for Hezbollah at rallies.
Authorities also have alerted local leaders in the Jewish community about potential security threats at synagogues.

But officials say there's no evidence of any specific or immediate threats.

About 300,000 southeastern Michigan residents have roots in the Arab world. And about 72,000 Jews live in the area.

Beirut, Lebanon +Hezbollah's Leader Offered To Stop Firing+

Beirut, Lebanon +Hezbollah's Leader Offered To Stop Firing+ Hezbollah's leader has offered in a taped televised speech to stop firing rockets on Israel if Israel halts attacks on Lebanese towns.

Woodbury, NY - KJ Group Tries To Stop Woodbury Village Vote

Woodbury, NY - Kiryas Joel is waging a last-minute effort to derail the referendum scheduled for next week on incorporating a village in neighboring Woodbury.

A lawyer for the Kiryas Joel group that bought 140-acre ACE Farm two years ago and owns other Woodbury tracts has asked an appeals court to reconsider its decision last month that allowed the vote to proceed after two years in limbo.
The case turns on the validity of objections that the Kiryas Joel landholders - known as Vaad Hakiryah - submitted in 2004. Their objections cited technical flaws in the petition.

But on July 11, an Appellate Division panel dismissed them for an equally technical reason: They weren't served to Michael Queenan, the petitioner, until after the legal deadline.
Dennis Lynch, the attorney representing Vaad Hakiryah, argues in court papers that Queenan was served on time and that the judges "misapprehended or overlooked" undisputed facts supporting his position.

The court has agreed to review written arguments in the case on Tuesday, two days before the referendum. There is no guarantee if the court will rule before voters are scheduled to go to the polls.
If the court agrees with Lynch, the case would return to state Supreme Court for a ruling on the substance of the technical objections he filed.

Baltimore, MD - Jewish School Hit With Molotov Cocktail

Baltimore, MD - Baltimore City police and the FBI are looking into a Molotov cocktail attack on the Baltimore Hebrew University at 5800 block of Park Heights Avenue.

There were no reports of any major damages, and no one was injured. Police do not have any suspects in the attack. Police have increased their presence around the the university, and other Jewish institutions.

New York +Excessive Heat Warning+

New York +Excessive Heat Warning+ The New York statewide commissioner, issued a statement warning residents to limit or refrain from outdoor activity until the warning is lifted.


U/D:
AS OF 1500 HOURS, THE FOLLOWING HEAT INDICES HAVE BEEN RECORDED:

CENTRAL PARK:
TEMPERATURE = 95 DEGREES
HUMIDITY = 47 %
HEAT INDEX = 103 DEGREES

LAGUARDIA AIRPORT:
TEMPERATURE = 99 DEGREES
HUMIDITY = 38 %
HEAT INDEX = 106 DEGREES

JOHN F. KENNEDY AIRPORT:
TEMPERATURE = 96 DEGREES
HUMIDITY = 47 %
HEAT INDEX = 105 DEGREES.

U/D: 20:10
EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS AND HEAT ADVISORIES HAVE EXPIRED.

Israel +More Israelis Killed On This Tishah B'Av By Rockets Fired At Northern Israel+

Israel - More then 160 rockets were fired by Hezbollah at the North of Israel in a 30-minute period, eight people have been killed and dozens are seriously wounded; rockets also hit Kiryas Shmona, Tiberias.

Rome - Twenty Shops Defaced With Swastikas

Rome, Italia - About 20 Jewish shops across Rome were vandalized and defaced with swastikas in an apparent neo-fascist attack linked to fighting in the Middle East.

Owners of the 20 shops in the center and outskirts of the Italian capital foud there door locks filled with glue, shutters nailed closed and swastikas defacing nearby walls, said a spokesman for Rome's Jewish Community.

Brooklyn, NY +Belt Pkwy Closed Down+

Brooklyn, NY +Belt Pkwy Closed Down+ A motorcycle accident with injuries on the east bound of the Belt Parkway at Exit 13 Rockaway Parkway involving an off-duty NYPD ESU MOS, has NYPD Highway Units closing down all lanes both sides of the parkway.
EMS, ESU are on the scene and Medevac on stand by if needed, expect major delays.


U/D: 15:13
East bound lanes reopened ATT.

Blood Bank has been requested, MOS has serious leg injury, Highway setting up escort to Kings County Hospital.

Seattle, WA - Charges Filed in Jewish Center Shootings

Seattle, WA - King County prosecutors charged today Naveed Haq with aggravated first-degree murder and five counts of first-degree attempted murder in last week's shooting at the Jewish center offices in downtown Seattle.

Haq is accused of killing Pamela Waechter, 58, and injuring five other women after forcing his way into the center's office just after 4 p.m. Friday and randomly shooting employees with two semi-automatic handguns.

Aggravated first-degree murder is punishable by either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of release.

Queens, NY +B.Q.E. Shut Down+

Queens, NY +B.Q.E. Shut Down+ South bound of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway at Northern Blvd is currently closed down to all traffic, due to a jackknifed tractor trailer after hitting an overpass also causing a full leak, NYPD Highway units are on the scene, heavy duty tow is enroute.

New York, NY - Mayor Declares Heat Emergency

Heat Emergency in NYC

New York, NY - Mayor Michael Bloomberg has declared a heat emergency for New York City, due to a dangerous heat wave that's expected across the tri-state area on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Dangerous levels of heat and humidity are forecasted to affect the region, it might reach the highest observed during the past several years.

The executive order was signed in anticipation of the 90-degree days that are predicted through Thursday.

Bloomberg said the city will also reduce its energy usage this week and urged all New Yorkers to do the same.
He said the Department of Citywide Administrative Services will raise the temperature of the air conditioning systems in the 53 buildings it manages, including City Hall, Tweed Courthouse and the Municipal Building.
The city is also reducing the electricity usage of elevator systems by putting 10 to 20 percent of building elevators out of service.

New York City temperatures and humidity through Wednesday are expected to be even higher over the next few days. Temperatures are expected to hover in the mid-90s. Even on Thursday, temperatures could be close to 90.

Con Ed expects record consumption on Tuesday and Wednesday, and has strongly urged everyone to reduce energy usage to avoid another blackout like the recent one in Queens.

Monticello, NY +MVA+

Monticello, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident at Beverly Hill Bungalow Colony near the Monticello High School, Hatzolah BLS and ALS are all responding.

U/D: 12:36
Members on the scene asking all units coming in to slow it down.

New York - NYS Thruway Truck Hauling Beer Crashes and Spills

New York - On the New York State Thruway, a tractor-trailer hauling beer crashed and spilled its cargo. NY State Police on the scene a mile south of Exit 18 at New Paltz in Ulster County, the truck and a car both ran off the road, causing the rig to hit some trees and spill its cargo of Budweiser beer.

The occupants of the vehicle suffered minor injuries. Troopers closed one southbound lane.

Israel - 215 Rockets Hit Israel

Israel - Hezbollah pummeled northern Israel today with 215 rockets -- the highest number in one day -- killing one Israeli at a kibbutz north of Nahariya riding his bicycle and wounding more than a dozen others. One rocket landed in the Palestinian-controlled West Bank, hitting farther south than ever before.

Twenty-nine rockets hit inside the northern Israeli towns of Nahariya, Tzafes, Tiberias, Kiryas Shmona, Carmiel, Maalot as well as in upper Galilee, including some that struck homes.

Manhattan, NY +DOA Floater in River+

Manhattan, NY +DOA Floater in River+ NYPD of the 13th Pct, ESU, Harbor and Aviation are all on the scene at East 18th Street and Avenue "C" at the wall of the F.D.R. Drive for a DOA body floating in the East River, FDNY Marine-3 enroute with a 3 minute eta.

Person was swimming there about an 1/2 hour ago.

Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine - Anti-Semitic Graffiti on State Agency Building

Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine - Anti-Semitic slogans have again appeared on a concrete wall at one of the busiest intersections of Dnepropetrovsk. The graffiti was left on the wall of “Salut” Works operated by Ukraine’s State Committee for State Material Reserves.

In addition to “traditional” anti-Semitic slogans, which have been appearing lately in Dnepropetrovsk in relation with the current conflict in the Middle East, anti-Semites added a new “scrawl:” “Palestine for Arabs; Babiy Yar for Yids.” This was the response of a group of anti-Semites to the pro-Israeli rally which took place last week in Dnepropetrovsk and included thousands of the city’s residents.

California - Gibson Apologizes For 'Vitriolic' Words

California - Faced with growing outrage over his anti-Semitic remarks when arrested, Mel Gibson offered a second apology, this time specifically begging the forgiveness of Jews and asking for meetings with Jewish leaders who might help him find "the appropriate path for healing."

The new statement, followed an earlier apology that acknowledged "despicable" remarks, but never specifically mentioned their anti-Jewish tenor.
"There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark," Mr. Gibson said in the statement.
He continued, in part: "I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a D.U.I. charge. I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena."
He went on to say he wished "to take it one step further," and meet with Jewish leaders for a "one-on-one discussion."

Monticello, NY +Serious MVA+

Monticello, NY +Serious MVA+ A serious motor vehicle accident with one car that overturned on Hanawana Lake Road near Wall-Marth close to Route 42, Hatzolah BLS and ALS on the scene requesting 3 ambulances on a code-1, Mobil Medic is also responding.

U/D: 22:36
All aided will be transported by ground to Harris Hospital.

Queens, NY +Missing Prisoner+

Queens, NY +Missing Prisoner+ NYPD Aviation, Harbor and ESU units are all responding to Rikers Island to search the west side of the Island for a missing prisoner, Rikers Island Prison is on a total lock down now.

Beirut, Lebanon - +Major Israeli Operation+

Beirut, Lebanon - Lebanese security officials have reported a major Israeli operation involving helicopters landing Israeli soldiers near the Hizboliah stronghold near Baalbek in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, is under way.

U/D: 18:44
Hezbollah's chief spokesman said Israeli commandos are trapped inside a Baalbek hospital and fierce clashes are continuing with guerrilla fighters in the eastern Lebanese city.

U/D: 22:48
The Israeli military says its forces captured guerrillas in an attack on the Lebanese city of Baalbek.

Israel - No Potatoes in Bnei Brak

Israel - Potatoes are not allowed entry into Bnei Brak in past two weeks, because they have worms and city's rabbi forbids them to be marketed Haim Levinson.

Rabbi Moshe Landau discovered that this season's potatoes are afflicted with worms and other insects. Because of this, sale of potatoes is prohibited in Bnei Brak, unless the grocer has an in-house Kashrut supervisor who thoroughly checks the inventory.
 
Most of the grocers in Bnei Brak are under the Kashrut supervision of the city's rabbi, compelling the city's residents to forego potato borekas, French fries.

Manhattan, NY - Heat Wave Limits Bridge Lights at GWB

Manhattan, NY - Officials will turn off the lights on the George Washington bridge to conserve electricity during the heat wave.

The Port Authority says in addition to the GWB, the lights will be out on the Goethals, Bayonne and Outerbridge Crossing.

Glasgow,Scotland - Synagogue Attacked By Vandals

Glasgow,Scotland - Police in Glasgow are hunting vandals who daubed the name of 'Hizbollah' outside Scotland's oldest synagogue on Hill Street, the synagogue dates back to 1879.
The name 'Hizbollah' was written in foot-high white paint just outside its main gates. It's the first time the A-listed building which also houses the Jewish Community Center has been targeted. Police are investigating the incident.
Garnethill Synagogue is Scotland's oldest purpose-built synagogue as well as being one of the oldest places of Jewish worship in Britain.

Central Islip, NY - Israeli Leader Olmert Asked The Federal Judge To Give A Break To Nathan Schlesinger

Central Islip, NY - Last Wednesday, a throng of supporters from Williamsburg's Orthodox community traveled to the federal courthouse in Central Islip, on Long Island, to show support for a powerful Brooklyn businessman named Nat Schlesinger, who was facing criminal sentencing.
In addition to showing up in the courtroom, Schlesinger's supporters sent dozens of letters to U.S. District Judge Arthur Spatt urging lenience and describing Schlesinger as a generous and community-minded man. One of the letters was from Israel's current prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who wrote the judge that he had known Schlesinger for years.

Olmert's letter was written on official stationery from Jerusalem on September 11 of last year, when he was still vice prime minister of industry, trade, and labor. Olmert described his friend as "a man devoted to goodness and benevolence toward his fellow man and his community." He added that Schlesinger was a Holocaust survivor who had helped many minority families by giving them employment in his factory. "Thoughtfulness and respect of others were synonymous with his lifestyle. . . . Nat is the type of man who is always ready and willing to help," Olmert wrote.

Brooklyn, NY - Builder Bows Out

Brooklyn, NY - Developers have dropped plans to develop an abandoned building in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Citing "Community unrest" over plans to develop 24 apartments at 205 Parkside Avenue.

Moses Fried withdrew his request for a variance before the Board of Standards and Appeals.

Rockland County, NY - Orthodox Groups in Defense of Bikur Cholim Shabbos House

Rockland County, NY - In response to the Village of Suffern’s attempt to use zoning laws to close down an Orthodox Jewish health service agency’s Shabbos hospitality house. A coalition of Orthodox groups has filed a friend of the court brief in federal district court in support of the house, charging the village with violations of the U.S. and New York Constitutions and the federal Religious Land Use.

issue is the use of a single family home situated across the street from Good Samaritan Hospital. Rockland County Bikur Cholim, a private health service agency, purchased the house as a place where Orthodox family members of patients in the hospital could reside over Shabbossos and Yomim Tovim, in order to be able to visit their sick relatives over the course of those days.

The village cited the facility as illegal, defining it as a “transient motel,” even though the service is provided free and only to patients’ family members.

Also cited in the brief is the apparent discrimination against Orthodox Jewish observance inherent in the village’s permitting of “houses of worship” in the same zoning district where the Bikur Cholim facility functions, even though it, too, serves as a Shabbos house of worship.

Brooklyn, NY +Emergency Meeting On Shul's and Yeshiva's Security+

NCIDENTS IN SEATTLE AND SYDNEY HIGHLIGHT CONCERNS

Dear Neighbor:

We live in a safe community. Even in times of international tension we know that our local police, in cooperation with our neighborhood patrols, keep watch and are “shomer” over our families.

Still, the attacks on Eretz Yisroel have emboldened some to take out their hate on religious institutions in the United States and overseas. As we prepare for Tisha B’Av, I want to invite you and your members to a special emergency town hall meeting to discuss efforts to ensure our safety.

What : Emergency Town Hall Meeting on Jewish Community Safety

When : Tuesday August 1st @ 6:30 PM

Where : Avenue N Jewish Center, 321 Avenue N, Brooklyn (East 3 Street)

Who : Representatives of the NYPD, Joint Terrorism Task Force, Department of Homeland Security.

For more information or to confirm your attendance, please Contact Mordechai Avigdor at Congressman Weiner’s office at 718-520-9001.

There will also be a discussion of the latest news about Homeland Security grants for religious institutions.

Sincerely,


ANTHONY WEINER
Member of Congress

Boro Park, Brooklyn, NY +Stabbing+

Boro Park, Brooklyn, NY +Stabbing+ An aided a 15-year-old male was stabbed in the back in the Borough Park Section of Brooklyn at 19th Avenue and 58th Street, Hatzolah on the scene requesting ALS on a rush.

U/D: 11:38
PD canvassing transit, as per the toll clerk 8 perps with the same description jumped on the train, PD calling for a level one mobilization.

Shomrim also working the scene

U/D: 11:46
Hatzolah ambulance transported the aided to Luthrian Hospital.

U/D/ 12:07
PD have the perps under arrest in transit at Surf Avenue and Stillwell Avenue.

Christchurch, New Zealand - Synagogue Targeted In Graffiti Attack

Christchurch, New Zealand - The words "Shower you murderous swine" have been sprayed in bright green paint on the footpath outside the synagogue's main entrance in Christchurch, New Zealand on Durham St.

A brass plaque on the main gate has also been vandalised, with swastikas scratched into the surface and racist taunts daubed in felt pen. The graffiti, which apparently appeared overnight, was done as tensions escalate over Israel's cross-border incursion into Lebanon.

Christchurch police said no complaint had been received. Synagogue officials were unavailable to comment.
Swastikas and the number 666 were daubed on a Lower Hutt mosque this week, but police say that incident appeared not to have been connected with a racist or religious vendetta.

Police attributed the Lower Hutt graffiti to "mindless juvenile vandalism".

Circleville, NY +Route 17 Traffic Alert+

Orange County, Circleville, NY +Route 17 Traffic Alert+ An overturned vehicle on the west bound side of Route 17 near Exit 119, PD and FD on the scene reporting injuries, Stat Flight Air-2 on stand by.

Bellevue, WA - Hundreds Mourn Seattle Shooting Victim

Bellevue, WA - Hundreds of people attended a funeral for the woman killed in the shooting rampage at a Jewish charity, saying they hoped her violent death would prompt actions of peace.
Pamela Waechter, 58, was shot when a man forced his way into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle on Friday. Five others were wounded.

A simultaneous funeral took place in Minneapolis, where Waechter was raised. She converted to Judaism when she was married, moved to Seattle in 1979, and became a leader in the Jewish community.

U.S. Attorney John McKay said Monday that an FBI investigation continues, and that federal hate crime charges could accompany state murder charges.

Circleville, NY +Route 17 Traffic Alert+

Orange County, Circleville, NY +Route 17 Traffic Alert+ An overturned vehicle on the west bound side of Route 17 near Exit 119, PD and FD on the scene reporting injuries, Stat Flight Air-2 on stand by.

Newton, Mass - FBI Issues Warning For Jewish Centers To Increase Security

Newton, Mass - The FBI has issued a warning to the nation's Jewish institutions advising them to be on alert for hate crimes.
The warning was in response to a deadly shooting Friday at a Jewish community center in Seattle. One woman was killed and five others were wounded in the attack.

"A security alert was sent out to synagogues and Jewish institutions, JCCs, family services, anyone who has a Jewish presence, advising them how to heighten security."

Authorities have called Friday's incident in Seattle an isolated one.

Monsey NY - Congregation Loses Tax Break On Illegal 3-Family Home

Monsey, NY - The town has terminated a property tax exemption for a Monsey house that was illegally converted into a multiple-family dwelling.
The house, owned by Congregation Merkoz Halacha at 51 Park Lane, was approved by the town for occupancy by two families, but had at least three apartments when building inspectors toured it early this year.

Ramapo Assessor Scott Shedler said the property had a 100 percent religious exemption from property taxes in 2002.
That was reduced to a 67 percent exemption in 2004 when the town couldn't confirm the occupancy of one of the apartments.
It had an 80 percent exemption until Shedler petitioned the Assessment Review Board last week to make the property fully taxable.
The 5,127-square-foot house has a taxable value of $109,000. Ramapo assesses at 13.6 percent of market value.
Its full tax payments would be about $15,000 annually, Shedler said.

Gedalia Oberlander, who identified himself to the Assessment Review Board as the rabbi of the congregation, said he lived in one of the apartments, and two assistant rabbis lived in the others. "I feel that not having a certificate of occupancy shouldn't interfere with having the exemption," Oberlander told the board at its meeting.
"There was no CO (certificate of occupancy) and we're unable to confirm the location of the synagogue itself, seeing that it wasn't in that location," Shedler said.

During an inspection the inspectors found a family room that was illegally converted into a kitchen, as well as several rooms in the attic that were built without permits. In all, the inspectors counted 10 bedrooms.
"There are court cases that say if a property is in violation, it should not have an exemption," First Deputy Town Attorney Alan Berman told the board.
After a closed session to speak with Berman, the board accepted Shedler's petition and denied the tax exemption.

Brooklyn, NY - Man Is Accused of Reporting Terrorist Hoax to Hot Line

Brooklyn, NY - In a call to New York City’s terrorism hot line in May, a informant described a plot in chilling detail:
Syrians working in the jewelry business had hatched a plan to carry out a suicide bombing in the subway system on one of the most symbolic days of the year, Independence Day.

They had hidden explosives in hollowed-out jewelry, the informant said, and then used their professional know-how to import the jewelry and bring it to a store that one of them owned in New York.
To clinch the story, the informant, who identified himself as Jose Rodriguez and said he was from Israel, told the police officer answering the hot line that he had overheard the plotters use the Arab expression “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is great.”

The post-Sept. 11 antiterrorist law enforcement apparatus sprang into action, with city, federal and even Israeli officers following leads, conducting 24-hour surveillance and searching homes and businesses with bomb-sniffing dogs.
In the end, the investigators concluded that the call was a hoax, perpetrated by a Syrian Jewish refugee named Rimon Alkatri, 34, the owner of a jewelry store in Brooklyn.
The five conspirators identified by Mr. Alkatri were not Muslims but Christians and Jews, the police and prosecutors said. He had done business with four of the men, officials said, and had named them as terrorists because he had a grudge against them stemming from a business deal that had ended in a bitter disagreement.

Santa Fe, NM - Synagogue Security Heightened

Santa Fe, NM - Gov. Bill Richardson has director his Office of Homeland Security and the state Department of Public Safety to increase security around synagogues and Jewish centers in New Mexico.
That's after the attack on the offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle on Friday that killed one.

New Mexico's director of homeland security, Tim Manning, said that while the Seattle attack appears to be an insolated incident, it's imperative to keep New Mexicans safe.

New York - Hamaspik of Orange County Gets State Funds

New York - State Senator John Bonacic of Mt. Hope, chairman of the Senate Housing, construction and Community Development Committee, announced that $600,000 in state aid has been made available through the state’s Access to Homes program to Provider Hamaspik of Orange County, Rural Ulster Preservation Company in Ulster County and Rural Sullivan Housing Corporation in Sullivan County.

“Persons with disabilities must overcome tremendous challengers that others often take for granted, even simple tasks such as the ability to reside in one’s own home,” Bonacic said. “This funding is critical to cover the costs of making housing units accessible to disabled individuals.”

Each agency will receive $200,000.

New Haven, CT - Man Acquitted Of Molesting Girl Wins Right To Identify Parents

New Haven, CT - A man acquitted of molesting a girl at a Bridgeport synagogue has won the right to identify her parents in a lawsuit accusing them of making false abuse allegations against him, his attorney said.

Alfredo Vargas, a 69-year-old handyman, spent about five years in prison before he was acquitted in January in a second trial. When Vargas sued the parents, they sought to have the entire court record sealed to protect the girl. A Superior Court judge in Bridgeport agreed to replace the parents' names with pseudonyms.
The Connecticut Appellate Court turned down a bid by the parents to reconsider its decision in June rejecting the use of pseudonyms, Max Rosenberg, an attorney for Vargas, said.

Attorneys for Vargas say the parents have accused others of sexual abuse as well, but the court order sealing their names might prevent additional people from coming forward. "I'm very, very happy," Rosenberg said. "I think the court understands the situation here and realizes the threat to the general public that these people present."

Los Angeles, CA - Groups Asking For Investigation Into Mel Gibson's Anti-Semitic Tirade And Alleged Cover Up

Los Angeles, CA - Jewish groups have called for Mel Gibson to be ostracized from and investigated for breach of race hate laws after his drunken anti-Semitic outburst to a Los Angeles police officer.

Gibson issued a lengthy statement Saturday apologizing for saying "despicable" things to sheriff's deputies when he was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol.

U/D 17:23
Mel Gibson enters rehab following his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, his spokesman confirms.

U/D: 07/01/06
ABC Television Network pulled a miniseries about the Holocaust it was developing with Mel Gibson's production company.

New York - Pataki Got Big Bucks from Power Company Donors

New York - Gov. George Pataki has been the biggest recipient of campaign contributions from power companies that are now under scrutiny for recent blackouts in New York City, a new study just released shows.

Government watchdog groups say the state Public Service Commission under Pataki has taken a ``hands-off approach'' to its job of regulating electric utilities and has failed to protect the average retail customer.

Brooklyn, NY - Clinic at the Center of Insurance Scam

Brooklyn, NY - A physician, a medical clinic owner and others are accused of a multimillion dollar auto insurance scam involving staged crashes and perpetrators who sought unnecessary treatment at facilities that were part of the scheme, said state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Twenty people were indicted throughout New York City. In the 20-month investigation, Spitzer said.
The defendants are charged with scheming to defraud, money laundering, grand larceny, insurance fraud, falsifying business records, and offering false instruments for filing. Spitzer also opened a civil lawsuit seeking to recover $3.9 million from the defendants, some of whose bank accounts were frozen under a court order.

Among the defendants are a physician and a "secret'' owner of AR Medical, also Dr. Alexander Rozenberg, 52, of Brooklyn who specializes in physical rehabilitation. Spitzer said Rozenberg was the owner on public records of AR Medical in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, but he didn't control the finances. Rozenberg conducted "cursory medical evaluations, fabricated patients' symptoms, falsely diagnosed extensive soft tissue injuries, and referred patients for prolonged, unnecessary treatment and testing,'' Spitzer said.

Inna Polack, 36, of Staten Island who has no health provider license but secretly owned the clinic and ordered medical services, Spitzer said.

Other major indictments include charges against Shaun "Prince'' Robinson, 36, of Brooklyn, Natalya Shvartsman, 47, of Brooklyn, and also indicted on enterprise corruption charges are the corporations Mighty Management and Mighty Management Group of Brooklyn. Both are owned by Polack.

Chaifa, Israel - Terror Suspects Nabbed

Chaifa, Israel - Security forces detain two Palestinians suspected of planning to stage terror attack; the high alert that was declared in Chaifa called off following arrests.

A high alert was declared in the Chaifa region shortly before the two suspects - Palestinian illegal aliens - were nabbed and security forces boosted operations in

The two suspects were detained by Chaifa Police Chief Nir Mariash and another police officer. The two officers were patrolling the Carmel area when an alert was received regarding two terrorists en route to carrying out an attack in Chaifa. The two officers rushed to the area where a suspected car was spotted and arrested the suspects at gunpoint.

"At that point, after the two were made to lie down on the road, we called in the special forces, whose job it is to interrogate the two, as well as sappers who searched the vehicle," Mariash said. "I'm glad we managed to foil a terror attack in the city of Chaifa."

A city hall employee who was watching the incident from her office said "we heard many police cruisers and saw everything through the windows. We weren't stressed out because we were inside the building."

Borough Park +MVA+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident involving a Motorcycle in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn, NY on 45th Street and 9th Avenue, Hatzolah on the scene requesting back-up

U/D: 17:45
FD Engine 282 is reporting that aided is walking around and not in serious condition.

Otisville, NY Burn Victim in Corectional Facility+

Otisville, NY Burn Victim in Corectional Facility+ Mobile Life on the scene in the Federal Prison in Otisville at 100 2 Mile Drive with an aided that has multiple burns to his entire body< Medivac has been requested and Stat Flight Air-2 inbound with a 10 minute ETA.

Fire Department to set up the landing zone just out side the prison property.

New York, NY - March Across the Brooklyn Bridge Against Israel

New York, NY - 1500 members of the New York community, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan this past Shaboss against Israel.

The protesters began with chants at 2:30 p.m. at Cadman Plaza Park, on the Brooklyn side of the bridge, and marched to City Hall in Manhattan for a rally.

Moscow, Russia - Court Rejects Synagogue Attacker’s Request for Jury Hearing

Moscow, Russia - A Moscow court has rejected synagogue attacker Alexander Koptsev’s defense’s request to allow a jury to examine his case.

The court in its ruling stressed that the defense first had to ask for preliminary hearings, but failed to do so. “Due to this violation the court has decided to reject the defense’s request to allow a jury to examine Koptsev’s case,” the judge said.

The court has also rejected changing Koptsev’s sentence, according to which he has to remain in custody pending trial, for a written pledge not to leave the country, and has prolonged his term in custody for three months. He is currently awaiting an appeal.

The next court hearings are scheduled for August 15.

Baghdad, Iraq - Vice President Criticizes Israel

Baghdad, Iraq - The Iraq's vice president of the U.S.-backed Iraqi government has accused Israel of carrying out "massacres" in Lebanon in the strongest criticism of Israel by a top official of the U.S-backed Iraqi government.
Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi said Iraqi people, too, have suffered many attacks in their history. "What happened in Iraq is happening now in (Lebanon)," he said in a speech in Baghdad, attended by Iraq's president, the prime minister and other top government officials.

"Today, massacres are also taking place in ... Lebanon and Palestine. These horrible massacres carried out by the Israeli aggression, incites in us the spirit of brotherhood and solidarity," he said.

Brussels - El Al Threatened With Attacks

Brussels - Security has been increased at Brussels International Airport after a letter threatening attacks against the Israeli airline El Al was found in a toilet room.
"I can confirm we found a letter in a toilet room of the Zaventem airport on Sunday," said federal police spokeswoman Evie Claes. "The letter is being analyzed. While we wait for the outcome of the analysis, we have added extra police patrols at the airport," giving no details of the letter.

The El Al office in Belgium said it had been informed of the letter but had no comment to make.

Lebanon +Israeli Air Force Strikes Again+

Lebanon +Israeli Air Force Strikes Again+ Israeli air force bomb suspected guerrilla targets in southern Lebanon, despite an agreement to halt air raids for 48 hours.

U/D: 12:42
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says there will be no cease-fire.

U/D: 18:25
Officials say Israeli Security Cabinet has approvee widening ground offensive in Lebanon.

U/D: 19:43
Israel plans to call up thousands more reservists after Cabinet approved expanding ground war in Lebanon.

Queens, NY - Synagogue Hit By Firebomb

Queens, NY - Arson squad detectives are investigating what police sources described as a Molotov cocktail hurled outside a Queens synagogue.

An incendiary device was used to start a small rubbish fire next to the Synagogue Beis Sholom in Flushing, Queens, NY.
The fire was quickly put out with little damage to the building, but a law enforcement source noted, "Some kind of flammable substance was used, which got everyone's attention given the current climate."

Sy Dipkin, the congregation president, said worshipers should not panic. "We don't know if it was an attack. More than likely it was vandalism," Dipkin said. "People worry about everything, but they are nervous Nellies.
There was no graffiti. And there were some hangout spots nearby.
"It may have been just some kids getting into trouble. Unfortunately, nowadays you have to be careful about everything," he added.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene on Division Avenue and Berry Street, Hatzolah on the scene requesting NYPD to respond.

U/D: 12:04
Hatzolah on the scene requesting Medics to respond.

New York, NY - Absolut Vodka Becomes Kosher-Certified

New York, NY - Absolut Vodka announced products listed under its brand name have received kosher certification from the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.

Absolut products manufactured at the V&S blending and bottling facility in Åhus, Sweden are being formally manufactured under the supervision of the Kashruth Division of the Orthodox Union. The OU designation will be appearing on Absolut products in the coming months.
By establishing its products as kosher, Absolut expands the size of its consumer base to include Americans that abide by kosher rules because of religious traditions.

All Absolut Vodka is manufactured in Ahus, Sweden using a revolutionary method of distilling called continuous distillation. To ensure consistently high quality, every drop of ABSOLUT is produced there with water from the company’s own well, deep down in pristine aquifers, unreachable by pollution and impurities.

Bronx, NY +Henry Hudson Pkwy Shut Down+

Bronx, NY +Henry Hudson Pkwy Shut Down+ NYPD of the 50th Pct and Highway Units are shutting down the Henry Hudson Parkway at 237th Street due to a suspicious package at 3700 Henry Hudson Parkway and Netherland Avenue, expect delays in the area, ESU, Bomb Squad, FD and EMS are all on the scene.

U/D: 09:54
NYPD Bomb Squad has properly I.D.'D the package.

Long Beach, CA - Five Suspects Arrested Outside Synagogue

Long Beach, CA - Five Long Beach men were arrested when police suspected they were about to vandalize a synagogue.

The men were arrested before they were able to vandalize Synagogue Beis Shalom in the 3600 block of Elm Avenue.
Officers went to the neighborhood at about 3 a.m. in response to at least one call about a group of males outside the synagogue, where police found them with cans of spray paint "and other devices used to vandalize property. Due to what they had in their possession and witness statements, officers believed the subjects were going to deface the synagogue," police said.

The five were booked on pending charges of attempting to vandalize a place of worship, loitering and prowling on private property, trespassing and conspiracy to commit crime.

The five were to be interviewed by Long Beach police detectives, and possibly the FBI, to try to determine a motive.

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Village Officials Asking For Control of Romanian Jewish Cemeteries

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - All across Eastern Europe, in every city and country hamlet where Jewish communities thrived before the Holocaust, are burial grounds sacred to the children and grandchildren of those who survived Hitler's mass murdering.
But time has taken its toll on these hallowed grounds. With few Jews left to maintain the cemeteries, headstones have toppled, and trees and brush have taken over. Little by little, sacred land is sold off or used to plant vegetables.

Nati Meir a Romanian Parliament deputy, came to meet Village of Kiryas Joel officials, elders and activists, and he offered hope that at least his European country will help their preservation efforts, and the deputy got an earful.
"They killed the living once, and now they're going after the dead," said Ari Felberman, Kiryas Joel's government relations coordinator. "Please beseech your members of Parliament to at least respect the dead."

Tension between American activists and the leaders of Romania's tiny Jewish population have complicated the preservation effort.
A 2002 law gave Romanian Jewish leaders ownership of the burial sites. But activists claim these leaders are less interested in protecting the cemeteries than in selling them off.
Meir offered this glimmer of hope: a bill, pending in the Romanian Parliament, would allow the government and outside preservationists to share control of the cemeteries with the local Jewish leaders.

Moscow, Russia +Massive Oil Spill in Russia+

Moscow, Russia - A major oil spill has occurred in one of the country's largest export pipelines, causing a potential "environmental catastrophe."

Parramatta, Australian - Rabbi's House Attacked

Parramatta, Australian - Rabbi Yossi Wernick became the latest victim of attacks believed to be in response to the escalating Mid-East crisis.

Community and political leaders are calling for calm after a Sydney synagogue was targeted in an attack believed to be tied to the escalating war between Israel and Lebanon.
Projectiles were hurled at the roof of the Parramatta Synagogue, in Sydney's west, and blocks of concrete were thrown at two cars, smashing windows.
Police have responded by stepping up patrols of Jewish and Islamic sites as the crisis in the Middle East deepens.

Officers are searching for 10 men of Middle Eastern appearance seen laughing and running from the Mason Street synagogue after it was attacked.
Rabbi Yosef Wernick, 32, and his young family were inside a house adjoining the synagogue when it was targeted. He said the conflict between Israel and Lebanon may have been a trigger for the attack on the synagogue, which was firebombed a few years ago.

New York - Sunday Morning Beer Sales Permitted

New York - New Yorkers won't have to wait until noon to buy beer anymore. Starting today, a new law went into effect that lets stores sell beer starting at 8:00 on Sunday mornings instead of having to wait until noon.

Governor Pataki signed the law Thursday.
The old rule was part of the blue laws that were originally designed to restrict certain activities on Sunday.
Lawmakers say the new law will make it easier on those who are traveling or just prefer to shop early.

Pittsburgh, PA - Police Patrol Synagogues

Pittsburgh, PA - The mayor ordered increased police protection of the city's Jewish community and synagogues in the wake of a fatal shooting at a Jewish center in Seattle.
"We want members of the Jewish community to feel confident and comfortable that they can worship without any fear on Shabbas" said Dick Skrinjar, spokesman for Mayor Bob O'Connor. Uniformed and undercover officers are involved in the patrols, he said.

"What a sad commentary it is that religious institutions have to protect themselves from people who hate them," said Rabbi Alvin Berkun, rabbi emeritus of the Tree of Life Congregation. "The Jewish and Muslim communities have not had any friction in Pittsburgh ... but when there's a terrible attack like in Seattle, you have to be cautious."
The increased protection will last "until we decide the community is comfortable enough we can return to pre-conflict levels of protection," Skrinjar said.

About 40,000 Jews live in Pittsburgh, according to the 2004 Census Report.

Israel +Air Operations To Be Suspended+

Israel +Air Operations To Be Suspended+ Israel has agreed to a 48-hour suspenion of aerial activity in south Lebanon while it investigates an attack on a Lebanese village that killed a number of children, said State Department spokesman Adam Ereli.

Israel +Air Operations To Be Suspended+

Israel +Air Operations To Be Suspended+ Israel has agreed to a 48-hour suspenion of aerial activity in south Lebanon while it investigates an attack on a Lebanese village that killed a number of children, said State Department spokesman Adam Ereli.

U/D: 20:26
The U.N. Security Council passes a statement expressing "extreme shock and distress" over Israel's bombing of civilians in Qana, Lebanon but does not condemn it.

Woodbury, NY +NY 17 Traffic Alert+

Woodbury, NY +NY 17 Traffic Alert+ A motor vehicle accident with a vehicle that overturned on the Route 17 at between Exit 130 and 131 near the NY State Police Barracks, FD, Kiryas Joel Hatzolah, Monroe EMS and Mobile Life EMS are all on the scene requesting ALS to respond, and two Medevacs Stat Flight Air-2 and Lifeguard-18 to fly.

U/D: 17:16
L/Z to be on the Highway near the scene of the accident, Traffic both directions shut down.

U/D: 18:29
All lanes are reopened now.

North Miami Beach, FL +Bias Crime+

North Miami Beach, FL +Bias Crime+ Two Shuls, the Young Israel Synagogue of Greater Miami and the Shaaray Tefila Synagogue, and also some Jewish owned stores like Kosher World and Judiaca Enterprizes all along 10th Avenue and North Miami Beach, were all hit over night (Motzai Shabbos) with swastikas.

Members from the North Miami Beach Shmira Patrol noticed it first while on patrol and called PD, now they are all working on investigating who is behind it, but police say they have no clue as of yet.

News media from the area are all over both shuls.

U/D: 07/31/06
Thanks to the quick teamwork of NMB Shmira Patrol, the NMB police and the Miami-Dade police, an arrest was made for the spray painting graffiti, there were several police officers from each department and many individuals joining the search for this perps after NMB Shmira spotted them.
 
One perp was apprehended. He denied any involvement but was taken in for questioning. Another officer arrived and asked him to open his hands. After a moment he did and they were covered with spay paint. He was literally caught red handed.

New York, NY - Next Take-Out From 2nd Avenue Deli Will Be 'Cash'

New York, NY - The building that once housed the famed East Village 2nd Avenue Deli is becoming a Chase bank branch.

Chase signed a lease for the property as well as a newsstand next door. A real estate broker being involved in the deal, said that it was finalized Wednesday.

The deli closed its doors in January following a rent dispute.

Airmont, NY +MVA+

Airmont, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on North Ailmont Road and Route 59 at the entrance to the New York State Thruway, Hatzolah and PD are responding.

U/D:
All units leaving loc. RMA signed.

New York, NY - Tisha B'Av Prayer At The Isaiah Wall

New York, NY - The annual Tisha B’Av prayer service conducted at New York City’s Isaiah Wall will take place this year as organizers focus on “Jewish communities in danger.”

The event will take place on Thursday, August 3rd, the Tisha B’Av Fast Day, at 2:00pm, at the Isaiah Peace Wall located at First Avenue and 43rd Street.
The prayer service will focus on the warfare in Israel, as well as Jewish communities facing danger around the world, including “Russia to Iran and Europe to Ethiopia.”

Men taking part are requested to bring their Talios (prayer shawl) and Tefillin.

Monsey, NY - Roadway, Once Rural, Now Crowded

Monsey, NY - One would think that living less than 5 miles from your job would be every commuter's dream.

Audrey Goldman's morning drive to her job at an orthodontist's office in Airmont is anything but. That's because on most mornings after she leaves her condominium in the Blueberry Hills complex she finds herself stuck behind a school bus picking up children along the often-congested Route 306. It turns what should be an 8-minute commute into a 30-minute trip.

"It's a dangerous and frustrating circumstance," said Goldman, who has lived in the area for 30 years. "It was supposed to be a residential area but now it's becoming anything but."

Portions of Route 306, a narrow two-lane road that runs through parts of Ramapo and the village of Kaser, was once home to a stretch of single-family homes, but recent zone changes have allowed the development of multifamily residences.
Residents like Goldman have become increasingly concerned about the traffic and safety issues in the area, with a 142-unit development nearing completion and another 160-unit complex on the horizon. In 2001, Kaser tore down 15 bungalows on Route 306 near the corner of Maple Avenue, but village officials say any development there is still in the planning stage.

The state Department of Transportation, which maintains Route 306, estimates that more than 21,000 vehicles travel daily in both directions on the two-lane road.

With the exception of parts of the road in Kaser, a lack of sidewalks poses a threat to many in the area — mostly Orthodox Jews, whose population has grown in the area over the years — who walk instead of drive.
The combination of pedestrians and drivers sharing the same road can be dangerous.

In the past three months, four people have been seriously injured crossing Route 306.

"Traffic is not just a development problem. Our developments have less traffic," said Kaser Deputy Mayor Shlomo Koenig. "Women and children here don't drive. We don't have a one-family house with five cars like in Monsey. We don't have that. Having said that, we know there is a problem."

Koenig, who lives on the corner of Route 306 and Phyllis Terrace, said the village was looking into placing crosswalks and crossing lights on Route 306 to increase pedestrian safety. "We're definitely looking into that problem," Koenig said.

New York, NY - Smooth-As-Silk Swindler Presenting Himself As A Religious Man

New York, NY - Joe Greenblatt persuades Selma and Jack Winston to invest $3.5 million over five years in a series of real estate deals run out of his Paramus office. Within months of Jack's death in 2002, "interest" checks to the grieving widow start to bounce.
With more than $800,000 in worthless checks, Selma finally blows the whistle, leading to Greenblatt's arrest. But it's too late. The big loss will force her to sell her beloved lakeside home in Bloomfield, Mich.
A year later, Greenblatt is facing serious jail time. He calls Selma, now 88. Could she "advance" him $138,500? She wires him the cash.
"He said it was a way to get my money back," Selma explains. Like many investors, she is closely following a series of criminal cases against Greenblatt. Her case in Hackensack has been put on hold pending his sentencing on federal fraud charges, which was postponed from this month to Oct. 5.

Joe Greenblatt an Orthodox Jew whose victims were mostly Jewish, including a Brooklyn synagogue.
And despite being nailed on 94 felony counts in a Brooklyn court nine years ago, Greenblatt was allowed to remain on the street so he could make restitution.
He fell $1.5 million short, but used the time to build a rap sheet that included two more arrests, at least five fraud lawsuits and hundreds of bounced checks.

Greenblatt presenting himself as a religious man at first gave many investors comfort, but later became a source of outrage.
"He's a religious Jew; how could he do it?" Esther Kitain asked. To Calhoun, however, "it was a joke to pass himself off as a pious man when he was a common thief. Investors believed him and believed in him. He adopted a lot of this religious veneer to lure them in."

Greenblatt's mother-in-law – who is trying to help her daughter and two grandsons manage while Greenblatt remains locked up, facing a decade or more in jail – sings his praises. "He's a good father, a good husband," Yolanda Horvath said. "He kept my daughter like a queen. That's the bottom line."
Maybe so, but that lifestyle – including a $1.6 million condo on the Upper East Side, private schools for the couple's two sons, a million-dollar home in the Hamptons – came with money stolen from Maywood Capital investors, says Susan Marcus, the company's former accountant. "He had everyone believing he was going to take their money and invest it in real estate, and return them a huge profit," Marcus said. "In fact, much of the money was diverted, and only a small portion went into real estate."

Greenblatt was scheduled to be sentenced July 21 on his federal fraud guilty plea, but the date was pushed back to Oct. 5 at the request of his newest attorney. As a result, he remains under federal control in a private correctional facility in Jamaica, N.Y.
Greenblatt's condo and house in the Hamptons, both purchased in the past five years, are expected to go on the selling block, along with a $500,000 condominium owned by his father on the ocean in Bal Harbour, Fla.

New York, NY - Smooth-As-Silk Swindler Presenting Himself As A Religious Man

New York, NY - Joe Greenblatt persuades Selma and Jack Winston to invest $3.5 million over five years in a series of real estate deals run out of his Paramus office. Within months of Jack's death in 2002, "interest" checks to the grieving widow start to bounce.
With more than $800,000 in worthless checks, Selma finally blows the whistle, leading to Greenblatt's arrest. But it's too late. The big loss will force her to sell her beloved lakeside home in Bloomfield, Mich.
A year later, Greenblatt is facing serious jail time. He calls Selma, now 88. Could she "advance" him $138,500? She wires him the cash.
"He said it was a way to get my money back," Selma explains. Like many investors, she is closely following a series of criminal cases against Greenblatt. Her case in Hackensack has been put on hold pending his sentencing on federal fraud charges, which was postponed from this month to Oct. 5.

Joe Greenblatt an Orthodox Jew whose victims were mostly Jewish, including a Brooklyn synagogue.
And despite being nailed on 94 felony counts in a Brooklyn court nine years ago, Greenblatt was allowed to remain on the street so he could make restitution.
He fell $1.5 million short, but used the time to build a rap sheet that included two more arrests, at least five fraud lawsuits and hundreds of bounced checks.

Greenblatt presenting himself as a religious man at first gave many investors comfort, but later became a source of outrage.
"He's a religious Jew; how could he do it?" Esther Kitain asked. To Calhoun, however, "it was a joke to pass himself off as a pious man when he was a common thief. Investors believed him and believed in him. He adopted a lot of this religious veneer to lure them in."

Greenblatt's mother-in-law – who is trying to help her daughter and two grandsons manage while Greenblatt remains locked up, facing a decade or more in jail – sings his praises. "He's a good father, a good husband," Yolanda Horvath said. "He kept my daughter like a queen. That's the bottom line."
Maybe so, but that lifestyle – including a $1.6 million condo on the Upper East Side, private schools for the couple's two sons, a million-dollar home in the Hamptons – came with money stolen from Maywood Capital investors, says Susan Marcus, the company's former accountant. "He had everyone believing he was going to take their money and invest it in real estate, and return them a huge profit," Marcus said. "In fact, much of the money was diverted, and only a small portion went into real estate."

Greenblatt was scheduled to be sentenced July 21 on his federal fraud guilty plea, but the date was pushed back to Oct. 5 at the request of his newest attorney. As a result, he remains under federal control in a private correctional facility in Jamaica, N.Y.
Greenblatt's condo and house in the Hamptons, both purchased in the past five years, are expected to go on the selling block, along with a $500,000 condominium owned by his father on the ocean in Bal Harbour, Fla.

Brooklyn, NY - Dov Hikind On His Way To Israel

Brooklyn, NY - with a minimum fuss, Dov Hikind is travling for a three-day tour of the north of Israel with a group that also includes one college student and a handful of business people.
"Because it happened so fast, we never advertised it," Hikind explained.

He says that he'll be hand-delivering about $27,000 he raised to buy equipment for the crews that collect body parts after bombings.
Hikind also said that "a couple of other" officials made inquiries about tagging along on the trip, but ultimately decided against going.

He didn't say who.

Azerbaijan - Democratic Party Leader Blames It All On The Jews

Azerbaijan - The National Democratic Party leader Iskender Hamidov made a statement, in which he charged the Jews with creeping annexation against Azerbaijan.

The Azeri gray wolves’ leader, in part, complained of the fact that “almost all areas of land in the northern regions of the country – Guba, Gusary and Khachmaz” belong to the Jews, “and they succeed in seizing other treasures of our country as well”.

Russia - Hamas, Hizbullah Not On Their Terror List

Russia published a list of 17 groups it regards as terrorist organizations and did not include the Palestinian movement Hamas or Lebanon's Hizbullah group.

The Russian Federal Security Service's top official in charge of fighting international terrorism, Yuri Sapunov, said that Hamas and Hizbullah were not a major threat to Russia and were not regarded as terrorist groups worldwide. But he said that Russian security agencies took account of international lists of terrorist groups when exchanging intelligence with foreign counterparts.

Sapunov said that the list of 17 "Includes only those organizations which represent the greatest threat to the security of our country."
Russia in the past has come under criticism for its refusal to list Hamas and Hizbullah as terrorist organizations.

White Plains, NY - Wal-Mart Set to Take on New York Kosher Market

White Plains, NY - Buoyed by its success in Upstate New York, Wal-Mart is preparing to take on the large New York kosher market with the opening of its new White Plains store.

The store is opening in a former Sears department store located on one of the city's busiest downtown streets. It aims to lure locals as well as customers from around New York City and Westchester County with the largest food assortment outside a so-called superstore and an array of products for small apartments.

Sources say that the chain hopes to emulate its large kosher section in Monticello, NY in the hope of attracting kosher consumers from throughout the metropolitan area.

Berlin Germany, - Vandals Etch Swastika On Holocaust Memorial

Berlin Germany, - Vandals scratched a swastika into Berlin's Holocaust memorial on Saturday, police said.
The marking was subsequently removed, the identity of the vandals was not known, police said.
The memorial, which has become one of Germany's most popular tourist attractions, is accessible from the street day and night.

Designed by U.S. architect Peter Eisenman, the memorial aims through its haunting, abstract design to preserve the memory of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis.
Situated on a vast plot of land between the Brandenburg Gate and the remains of Adolf Hitler's bunker in central Berlin, it consists of 2,711 grey gravestone-like slabs of varying height that form a tight grid pattern through which visitors wander.
In its first year, vandals painted five swastikas, four stars of David and one other piece of graffiti on the rectangular pillars, which have an anti-graffiti coating.

Montgomery, NY - Lightning Strikes Two Women on a Golf Course, 1 Dies

Montgomery, NY - Lightning struck two women on a golf course in the Hudson Valley Friday afternoon, killing one and sending the other to the hospital.   

Authorities say 54-year-old Ellen Robbins, died Friday after being struck by lightning at the Lake Osiris Golf Club in the Orange County town of Montgomery. The woman she was golfing with, Marilyn McHugh, was injured by the same lightning strike and transported to Saint Lukes Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh.

The lightning initially struck a tree near the shelter, but then traveled through the tree, into the shelter, into Robbins' body and out of her body through her feet. McHugh, 59, who lives in the Shawangunk hamlet of Wallkill, was knocked unconscious by a "secondary strike" from being close to where the lightning impacted Robbins, police said.
Her son Joseph Robbins, who lives in the Boston area, said his mother was "paranoid about lightning."
Robbins is survived two sons and by her husband, Dr. Chester Robbins, her parents, two sisters and two nieces.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m. today at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation. Burial will be in Woodstock Cemetery.

Beirut, Lebanon - Dozens Killed In Israeli Strike

Beirut, Lebanon - Israeli jets bombed the southern Lebanese town of Qana, destroying several houses in which 57 people are dead more arewounded. Meanwhile fierce clashes had broken out between the guerrilla and Israeli troops who had "infiltrated" a zone some three or four kilometers inside the border.

The clashes were taking place near the town of Marjayoun which has been heavily bombed over the past days. The Israeli force was a commando unit known as "the Golani Brigade," and two soldiers had been killed.

Lebanese officials have asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to visit Lebanon after the Israeli airstrike, and Rice says she is "deeply saddened by the terrible loss of innocent life" in Lebanon, but does not call for cease fire.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Israel is not in a hurry to agree to a cease-fire in Lebanon until it achieves its goals.