Montreal, Canada - Antisemitic Attack on Jewish Boys School

Montreal, Canada - Police are investigating an attack on an orthodox Jewish school.
Surveillance video recovered by Montreal police shows a masked man throwing a firebomb at the door of the Taldos Yakov Yosef Skver Boys school in Outremont on Ducharme Avenue in an attack early Shabbas morning.

Late Friday night early Shabbas morning a Molotov cocktail was thrown through a window into the vestibule of the school and exploded and started a fire but the damage was described as minimal to the Hallway and an Office, all this just minutes after the school had been vacated, and the buchrim finished eating their Shabbas night meal.

Neighbors upon hearing the explosion and a window breaking just after midnight looked out to see the main entrance in flames, they notified the Police Department who are investigating and they hope to capture the perps with help of surveillance cameras that all Jewish schools have installed in the past year.
Police said in the video, the man takes a few steps toward the entrance, then steps back to throw a lighted Molotov cocktail. He removes his mask as he steps out of the video frame, but his face is not visible.

"We have every confidence that the perpetrators of this despicable attack will be caught by police and charged accordingly," said CJC QR President Jeffrey K. Boro. "Such hateful acts cannot be tolerated by our society," Boro said.

Although officials of Jewish groups disagree, police have been unwilling to declare the attack a hate crime. In the absence of graffiti or other other evidence, it is being treated as an unexplained case of arson.

London - Screams Ignored As Girl, 12, Is Attacked

London - A 12-year-old Jewish girl who was beaten unconscious and robbed by anti-Semitic yobs on a bus and no-one came to her aid.

The girl and a friend were sitting at the back of the a 303 Metroline bus in Mill Hill, north London, when a group of around four girls got on at the Concourse, Grahame Park estate, and asked them if they were English or Jewish. They both replied they were "fully English". One girl in the group asked the victim for money, but she said she did not have any.
She and her friend tried to leave the bus but were blocked by the gang who searched their pockets and stole a bracelet.

One girl hit the victim around the face with her phone, slapped her several times, grabbed her hair and pulled her to the floor, where she was kicked and stamped on. She was left with a fractured eye socket, bruising and swelling to her face and chest.
"All I remember is her stamping on my face," she said. "Me and my friend were screaming. Then I blacked out. There were four people on the bus who didn't do anything."

After regaining consciousness, the girl and her friend tried to pull the bus doors open to escape.
She said: "The driver heard the attack and didn't open the doors. A boy opened the doors for us and I ran off."
She was helped by a motorist and taken to Barnet Hospital, where she was treated for her injuries and kept overnight.

Police are treating the attack on the girl, who is Jewish, as a racially aggravated robbery.
A spokeswoman for Metroline Bus Co. said: "It was a nasty incident. Our policy on handling assault is that drivers are instructed to stop the bus and wait for assistance."

New Square, NY - Third Child in Two Days Hit by Vehicle

New Square, NY - A third child in two days was struck in New Square yesterday.
A 5-year-old boy was hit by a 1996 Toyota Camry driven by 26-year-old Isaac Hochhauser of New Square, said Ramapo Sgt. Brian Corbett.
Corbett said Hochhauser was backing out of a parking spot in a parking lot at 31 Jefferson Ave. when the child ran behind the car and was hit.

The Chevra Hatzoloh of Rockland County ambulance service treated the child at the scene and transported him to Nyack Hospital.
Corbett said no charges had been filed and the child did not appear to be seriously injured. "It's nothing life-threatening," he said.

On Thursday, other two New Square children were hit by cars in separate accidents in the village, which has a population of 5,920 and a median age of 14, according to U.S. census figures.
Shortly after 1 p.m., a 2-year-old boy apparently ran onto Roosevelt Avenue and into the path of a 2004 Chevrolet Venture minivan driven by Mozes Dirnfeld, 49, of New Square. Dirnfeld and his passenger were not injured.
The boy was taken to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla by Hatzoloh ambulance.

In the second accident, police and the ambulance company returned to the village about 4:40 p.m., this time to North Garfield Avenue near the intersection of Truman Avenue, where a 7-year-old boy apparently ran into the side of a Yeshiva Avir Yakov school bus shortly after it had dropped off its last passenger.
Police said the child suffered a severe leg injury when he struck the front right bumper of the bus. The driver, Yeshia Deutsch, 30, of New Square, wasn't hurt.
The child was flown by helicopter to the medical center.

All three accidents, Corbett said, were still under investigation and no charges had been filed. Corbett said police were not releasing the children's names because of their ages.

London - British Arrest 16 in Anti-Terror Raids

London - Police have arrested 14 people in and around London suspected of trying to train and recruit others for terror attacks.
Two others were arrested in a separate raid in the northern city of Manchester.

Police said the arrests were not linked to an alleged plot which emerged last month to bomb as many as 10 trans-Atlantic jets.

The two arrests in Manchester were part of the same investigation that led to the Aug. 23 arrest of a terror suspect who is still being held but has not been identified, the former lord mayor of Manchester and now a race relations adviser, said the outlawed radical group Al-Muhajiroun had been recruiting members in the area, a diverse neighborhood where Muslims and Jews live in close proximity.

North Bay, Ontario, Canada - Missing Boaters in Lake Nipissing

North Bay, Ontario, Canada - An intensive search is underway Tuesday for two Toronto-area men who went missing on Lake Nipissing.

Heine Mondrowitz, 56, of Richmond Hill, Ont., and his son-in-law, Eli Horowitz, 30, of Toronto, who is also an active Hatzolah member, they were supposed to return from a boating trip Monday evening.
Police say their 19-foot rental boat was found empty after it drifted ashore in North Bay.

The men were staying at a lodge on the lake and had rented the boat to go fishing and swimming.

Police and local volunteers are involved in a heavy ground, air and water search for the missing men.



U/D: 08/26/06 21:57
All up dates on the two missing, will be posted in the comments section of this post.


U/D: 09/01/06
Reward for still missing Eli Horowitz was offered by Hatzoloh of Toronto

New Square, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

New Square, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on Bush Lane, Hatzolah on the scene requesting PD to respond.

New York, NY - President Bush To Visit For 9/11 Observance

New York, NY - President Bush will visit New York City on Sept. 11 to mark the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

The president plans to visit all three sites where terrorists crashed hijacked planes, in Washington, Pennsylvania and New York, the White House said.
An observance is planned at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan, the site of the World Trade Center towers that were the first targets of al-Qaeda terrorists in 2001.

New York, NY - Record High For NY Fliers

New York, NY - A record 50.6 million passengers used the region's three major airports during the first half of this year.

At this pace, the airports will surpass the 100 million passenger mark by year's end for the first time ever.
Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark are expected to combine for roughly 103.5 million passengers - a 3.7 percent increase over 2005.
The airports are slowly inching toward their estimated maximum capacity: 125 million.

Newark showed the greatest increase, 12.3 percent.

North Bay, Ontario, Canada - Reward for Missing Boater in Lake Nipissing

North Bay, Ontario, Canada - A close friend of a suspected drowning victim is offering a cash reward for the recovery of Eli Horowitz's body.
David Stein, a fellow paramedic with the Hatzoloh organization, released a statement. "The Hatzoloh organization in Toronto is offering a reward of $3,000 for the successful recovery of Eli Horowitz," he said.
"Any person with information is asked to call 1-416-398-2300 or if you discover the body on Lake Nipissing call 911." Stein said the Jewish organization is doing "anything" they can to find Horowitz's body.

Stein said Horowitz was a volunteer paramedic with Hatzoloh for eight years. "He was a great and funny guy that was always smiling," he said. "His wife called us (Hatzoloh) Monday night and six minutes after we heard on the (paramedic) radio of what had happened 40 people were at his home and two cars were heading down to Lake Nipissing to help with the search."

Stein said, that at the beginning volunteers had hope, but now it's presumed Horowitz drowned. Stein said he believes the police search was extended a week because there was so much pressure from the Hatzoloh community. He said even if the OPP does scale down or stop the search, Hatzoloh volunteers will continue looking until the body is recovered. "We are doing this because if that was anyone of us we would want the same done," Stein said, adding that he'll be making the trip north today unless he hears that the body has been recovered.

Lakewood, NJ +Car into Pole Traffic Alert+

Lakewood, NJ +Car into Pole Traffic Alert+ Police are on the scene and searching for the black male driver that took off on foot after his vehicle crashed into a pole on Ocean Road and Congress Street, traffic is heavy and large police activity in the area.
Driver is a male black and has a green backpack on him self.

U/D: 10:04
Police have driver in custody, after a foot pursuit.

Bastia, Corsica +Explosive Device Left at Synagogue; But Fails to Explode

Bastia, Corsica - A small explosive device was found outside a synagogue on the Mediterranean island of Corsica.

The wick had burned out and the device failed to explode.  Passers-by discovered the device on the steps of the Beth Meir synagogue in Bastia, on the northeastern edge of the French island. Officials said the explosives it contained were weak. 
The device "thankfully would have caused only very minor damage to the door of the building if it had exploded," said the top official of upper Corsica.  There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Corsica is frequently hit by small-scale bombings, but usually they are waged by separatists targeting government buildings and other symbols of the French state. The bombs are generally planted overnight, a tactic to avoid casualties.

New York, NY - New Yorkers Have Second-Longest Commute in the Country

New York, NY - Data released by the Census Bureau this week show New York metro area commuters spend an average of 34.2 minutes, whether by car or subway, getting to work -- the second longest in the nation.

Only the Vineland, N.J. metro area, a suburb of Philadelphia, had a longer average commute time, with 39.6 minutes.
Los Angelenos, who are known to spend hours in traffic jams, actually spend just 28.4 minutes on average getting to work. the national avearge is just 25.1 minutes.

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY - Jewish Group to Endorse Yassky

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY - Crown Heights Jewish leaders to endorse today in the Brooklyn congressional race, City Councilman David Yassky.

Members of the Crown Heights Political Action Committee - the political arm of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council - are expected to make the announcement with Yassky at a City Hall press conference. "He had a sensitive ear to our needs while a councilman, and we remembered that," they said.
The other candidates are state Sen. Carl Andrews (D-Crown Heights), City Councilwoman Yvette Clarke (D-Flatbush) and Chris Owens, son of the retiring incumbent.

Crown Heights Jewish leaders estimated they could turn out "thousands" of votes.
But political watcher said the endorsement is notable, but "not make or break."

Brooklyn, NY - FDNY Pull Aided from Top of Burning Building

Brooklyn, NY - New York City Firefighters rescued two people from the top floor of a blazing building late yesterday.
The victims were transported to Coney Island Hospital with serious burns after smoke-eaters stormed the fire that injured four people. Other victims were treated for minor injuries.

It took firefighters about 40 minutes to control the blaze, which broke out at 1675 W. 9th St.
No firefighters were injured.

Stockton, NY +NYS Police Shot+

Stockton, NY +NYS Police Shot+ In the town of Stockton, NY two New York State Troopers were shot both alive and in critical conditionn.
Perp is believed to be Ralph Bucky Phillips, wanted for prev shooting of a NYS Trooper in SP-G.

U/D: 09/03/06 19:46
State police say a trooper shot while searching for an escaped convict in western New York last week has died.

Spring Valley, NY +Pedestrian Seriously Struck+

Spring Valley, NY +Pedestrian Seriously Struck+ A Motor vehicle accident on Route 59 by Route 45 with a pedestrian that was seriously struck by the vehicle and is unrespomsive in traumatic arrest, Monsey Hatzolah on the scene requesting Medics forthwith.

Staten Island, NY +MVA on Verrazano Narrows Bridge+

Staten Island, NY +MVA on Verrazano Narrows Bridge+ A motor vehicle accident on the upper level of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge Brooklyn bound, Hatzolah responding with an S.I. and B Ambulances.

Manhattan, NY +Collar by FDNY+

Manhattan, NY +Collar by FDNY+ New York City Fire Department on the scene at West 44th Street and 6th Avenue are requesting NYPD to respond with a rush for a perp they have in custody after spotting him running down the street with handcuffs on.

Israel - Holocaust Survivors Demand Invitation to Tehran Conference

Israel - A group of Holocaust survivors want to travel to Tehran and attend a controversial conference on the Holocaust planned in December.

Noah Flug, the chairman of the Centre for Holocaust Survivors Organizations in Israel, sent a letter to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad demanding an invitation to the what he says will be a Holocaust denial conference.
"Invite us, Holocaust survivors from Israel, to the conference. This will be an opportunity to conduct a serious and thorough discussion on the issue," he wrote.
And he also suggested that Ahmadinejad should visit the Auschwitz death camp. "There we can show you from up close how the Nazi extermination machine worked and murdered more than one million people, Jews and also not Jews," he said.

Iran has already twice postponed the controversial conference, which is now due in December and among others is to discuss the root causes of anti-Semitism in Europe and the connection between the Holocaust and Zionism.

Nanuet, NY +Throuway Traffic Alert+

Rockland County, Nanuet, NY +Throuway Traffic Alert+ An accident with one vehicle overturned on the New York State Throuway southbound between Exit 13 and Exit 14, NY State Police on the scene advising aided injured and trapped, FD and EMS heading to the scene, All southbound lanes have been closed, heavy delays in the entire area.

New Square, NY +Child Struck by Bus+

New Square, NY +Child Struck by Bus+ An accident in New Square on Truman and Garfield Road with a 7-year-old child that was hit by a bus, Hatzolah on the scene requesting a chopper to fly.

U/D: 16:39
Chopper's ETA 10 Min. L/Z Etars Tcharna Hall parking lot, this will be a "hot load" into the Medivac, and will be going to WMC.

South Nyack, NY - Family Visiting From Israel Injured in Van-Truck Accident

South Nyack, NY - Five members of a family visiting from Israel were injured yesterday when their rental van was struck from behind by a truck that pushed them into a van in front of them.

David Salomon, 47, his 38-year-old wife and their three daughters - ages 7, 3 and 11 months - were driving south on the New York State Thruway when his Dodge Caravan slowed down because of a traffic snarl in front of him.
Peter Ireland, driving a 2003 Freightliner behind the Salomon vehicle, apparently could not stop in time and struck the van.
Esteves said Ireland, 48, of Dewitt, N.Y., told him that he attempted to step on the brakes but it wasn't enough. The road was slick, he was not ticketed, although NY State Police say that they felt the accident was caused because Ireland was driving too close to the Salomon van.

The Salomons' Caravan was pushed into a Ford van driven by Brian Pugliese, 29, of Prospect, Conn. Neither Pugliese nor a passenger in his van was injured.
Rockland Paramedic Services took the Salomon family to Nyack Hospital after all five complained of back and neck pain.

Staten Island, NY - Mosquito Spraying Scheduled+

Staten Island, NY - Mosquito Spraying Scheduled+ The City has scheduled spraying by truck for mosquitos for tonight into Friday morning in the following areas of Staten Island, NY: Westerleigh, Port Richmond, Elm Park, West Brighton, Livingston, Sunnyside:

Lakewood, NJ - Board Seaking Legal Action for Funds That Were Mismanaged

Lakewood, NJ - The school board is planning to take legal action against the state Department of Education that could result in local private schools being reimbursed millions of dollars in services, which were never provided because the money went instead to public schools.

The Lakewood Board of Education voted to investigate why federal Title I money was mismanaged in Lakewood.
"I am also authorizing our attorney to take any and all legal action against the state and investigate our employees - past or present - for the disaster that occurred here," school board member Abraham Ostreicher said.

Though it was the Lakewood school district itself that misspent the Title I money, the school board is arguing that the fault lies with the state. The education department failed to provide sufficient oversight and training to district administrators, resulting in the mismanagement of Title I funds, the school board contends. "It appears to me that the state knew or should have known that the district's administration did not appropriately consult with the nonpublic schools as required by law," Ostreicher said. "Unbelievable and unacceptable."

Miami +Plane Catches Fire on Runway+

Miami +Plane Catches Fire on Runway+ A US Airways plane made a safe landing at Miami International Airport after a fire in the left wheel landing gear, crews extinguished the fire with foam, all passengers were safely evacuated from the emergency shoot, no reports of any injuries, plane still on the runway.

Fenton, CA - Museum, Artist in Tug-of-War Over WWII Art

Fenton, CA - A woman who survived the Holocaust through her paintings, wants the museum in Poland where they're displayed to return them.

But the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland said Dina Gottliebova Babbitt's work document Nazi genocide and considers the paintings its property, The N.
Nazi doctor Josef Mengele ordered Babbitt to paint the watercolors of Gypsy prisoners at Auschwitz. Seven paintings are displayed at the museum; Babbitt said she believes she painted 11.
Health issues for Babbitt jump-started her supporters in the 30-year dispute. Her case was heard in a congressional hearing on the recovery of art stolen during World War II.

The institution views the paintings as documentary work that Mengele ordered, an official said. The official noted the memorial's international council previously said the museum bought six watercolors in the 1960s and the seventh was acquired in 1977.

New Square, NY +Child Struck+

New Square, NY +Child Struck+ A motor vehicle accident in front of 31 Roosevelt Avenue with a child that was struck, Hatzolah on the scene requesting ALS forthwith.

U/D: 13:34
Child is duing much better.

Roosevelt, NJ - Yeshiva Will Sue if Borough Does Not Rezone Property

Roosevelt, NJ - The local yeshiva wants to establish an amicable relationship with its neighbors and the borough, but if it doesn't get what it wants, there will be litigation.

Yeshiva Me'on Hatorah's attorney, Bruce Shoulson, expressed those sentiments in a letter to Borough Attorney Ira Karasick. The yeshiva operates now out of the Homestead Lane synagogue.

Congregation Anshei Roosevelt began leasing the synagogue to the yeshiva on Aug. 15, 2005. The yeshiva is paying the congregation a rental amount of $1 per year. 
The yeshiva wants to expand the use of the synagogue to accommodate as many as 150 live-in students per year, with kitchens, a dormitory and more classrooms, according to Ellentuck's summary.

In order to expand the facility's use, the recent letter sent to Karasick states that the yeshiva wants the borough to rezone the synagogue property.
The letter warns that the alternative is "an ongoing process of hearings before local boards, followed by legal actions instituted in state or federal courts if the yeshiva should be denied on the local level."

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Commercial Fire+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Commercial Fire+ Fire Department were on the scene early this morning for a fire that started inside a 150x200 commercial knitting mill factory at 71 Union Avenue off Lorimer Street and the fire spread into the yard of the building, fire was quickly knocked down.

BC-35 reports there of three seperate fires that started in the building, all of them were knocked down, One firefighter was transported to Bellvue Hospital for dehydration and C.O. poisoning.

Fire has been placed as a 10-41 Code-1 and fire Marshals were requested.

Woodridge, NY - Neighbors Feud Fuels Ill-Will

Woodridge, NY - When it rains in this neighborhood, brown-tinged water runs in sheets and pools on the lawns. When it doesn't rain, reddish-brown dust settles in the houses, fine and thick.

Vladimir Loos says "I have very bad breathing, just like I smoked 40 years," Loos says in a heavy Czech accent. "And I don't smoke."
Loos sleeps at night with a towel over his head. His doctor is sending him for an X-ray, to try to find out why there's a rasping noise in his chest. He and his wife vacuum every day, the machines sucking up reddish-brown silt so fine that it feels like talcum powder when you rub it between your fingers.

This water and this dust, Loos says, come from the Menorah Congregation bungalow colony, right behind his property and that of his neighbors. The trouble started in 2002, after colony owner Abraham Tabak bulldozed and put in a parking lot covered with a bed of red shale, just above his neighbors. Village officials say Menorah needed the lot because cars parked on the road.

In 2003, the village sent an engineer to check Menorah's lot. The engineer said Tabak should install proper drainage with proper trenching to correct the heavy runoff, build a solid wood stockade fence and either oil and chip the lot or spray it with water to keep down the dust.

Fallsburg code enforcer Allen Frishman said the trouble started when Loos planted small trees and positioned some large boulders in a line that encroached on Menorah's property. Then Tabak built the parking lot.

"We, as a community, are trying to find some way to try to bring some peace to the neighborhood," said Village Attorney Jeffrey Kaplan.

Loos and three neighbors are suing Tabak and the village and asking for damages and an order to correct the problems.

Wall Lake, IA - Residents want swastikas off water tower ASAP

Wall Lake, IA - Some residents are criticizing city officials why several swastikas scrawled on a Wall Lake water tower have not been removed in a month's time.

The swastikas showed up several weeks ago, and city officials are promising the swastikas will be removed next month during the tower's scheduled renovation, but enough residents are concerned about race-related incidents in Wall City that several people showed up at a meeting to "vent their frustration,'' Wall Lake City Councilman Vic Johnson said.

Wall Lake, which has less than 900 residents, is in an area of northwest Iowa where the minority and immigrant population has recently grown.

City Clerk Sharon Faber said a city employee recently tried to remove the graffiti, but only succeeded in fading it.
Wall Lake Mayor Ed Reiter said the swastikas will be removed when the water tower is repainted in September. He said even though he opposes the meaning behind the swastikas, it's important to save city time and money.
"It would take a couple of hours to paint over them," he said. The mayor said he counted three swastikas on the tower.

Atlanta GA +Federal Agents Arrest Israeli Officer+

Atlanta GA +Federal Agents Arrest Israeli Officer+ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in Atlanta have arrested an Israeli security officer at the Israeli consulate in the city.

Washington, DC - Congressman Calls For End of Destruction of Jewish Cemetery in Belarus

Washington, DC - In response to reports from constituents about the destruction of a historic Jewish cemetery in Belarus Congressman Edolphus "Ed" Towns sent a letter to the American Ambassador in Belarus Karen Stewart urging the Embassy to take immediate action to prevent further desecration of the holy site.
 
We writes, I am writing to express my very serious concern about the future of the Vasilishki Jewish cemetery, which is about 30 KM from Grodno in Belarus.
"I am especially shocked to learn from constituents that the Vasilishki Jewish cemetery is in the process of being destroyed. On a very recent religious pilgrimage to Belarus' Jewish holy sites, a member of the Jewish community took photographs, and as you can see that gravestones are cruelly, in violation of international law, being reduced to a pile of ruble.

I therefore strongly urge you to immediately step in to prevent the continued desecration of this sacred religious area. It is my hope that with your intervention this immoral construction will stop and that the cemetery be restored for the Jewish community's continued usage.

Canada - Pilot Locked Out Cockpit After In-Flight Toilet Break

Canada - An Air Canada Jazz pilot who left the cockpit of his passenger jet to use a back washroom moments before landing found himself locked out upon his return.

The pilot eventually busted into the cockpit and safely landed the Bombardier CRJ-100, but not before alarming some 50 passengers who watched him bang on the door and talk frantically with the cockpit through an onboard telephone for several minutes.

Air Canada Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stuart downplayed the incident, saying passengers "did not react and remained calm."

The first officer had remained on the flight deck, but was unable to open the jammed door, forcing the crew to remove it from its hinges with only 30 minutes remaining in the flight from Ottawa to Winnipeg. The first officer could have landed the jet himself and passengers were not in danger, they said.

"It's a very rare occurrence," Stuart said. "To the best of our knowledge, it's the first time we've encountered this problem in-flight."

Monticello, NY +Burn Victim+

Sullivan County, Monticello, NY +Burn Victim+ A six-year-old child with 30-40% serious burns to his body after spilling a percolator of hot water on him self, at Camp Ba'eir Hatorah on Route 17B in Monticello, Hatzloah Medics on the scene requesting a chopper to fly, L/Z being set up by Monticello Fire Department at Carl's Park.

U/D: 18:22
Child was airlifted to Weschester Medical Center.

U/D: 21:09
Child is in stable condition.

Tel Aviv, Israel +Breach of Security at British Embassy+

Tel Aviv, Israel +Breach of Security at British Embassy+ An Armed man breaches security at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, and he is threatening to commit suicide.

U/D: 15:37
Israeli police say commandos have stormed the British Embassy and captured the Palestinian gunman who was demanding asylum.

New Jersey - Dwek's Check for Income Taxes Bounces

New Jersey - Solomon Dwek has bounced another check - his 2005 New Jersey income tax payment.
The state Division of Taxation tried to deposit the $205,000 check, but no funds were available, according to court papers.

In a related court matter, Ken Cayre, a wealthy recording executive, claimed his signature was faked on a key financial document involving a Smith Barney stock account once worth $9 million. Cayre, of Brooklyn and Long Branch, was a part-owner of Wal-Mart's sole videotape supplier for a decade.
Dwek owned the account but gave Cayre control over it in June 2005. Early this year, the stocks were about to be transferred to an account controlled by Amboy National Bank, Old Bridge, according to court records.
Amboy claimed Dwek had pledged the stocks as security for a loan, but Cayre blocked the transfer.
In federal court papers filed Tuesday, Cayre's company, KLCC Investments LLC, claimed Cayre's purported signature on a fax relinquishing his control of the stock account was not his. The letter, which Smith Barney filed with the court, was sent from a fax machine that placed Solomon Dwek's name and a telephone number at the bottom of the page as an identification mark.

Moscow - Prosecutor Demands 16-Year Sentence for Synagogue Attacker

Moscow - The City Court's public prosecutor has demanded a 16-year custodial sentence for Alexander Koptsev, charged with attacking the congregation at a Moscow synagogue on Bolshaya Bronnaya Street on January 11, 2006.

Koptsev not only inflicted physical damage by stabbing the believers, but also affected people who were inside the synagogue during the attack, he said.
The Russian Supreme Court earlier repealed the Moscow City Court's sentence of 13 years in custody.

Queens, NY - Passenger Asked To Remove Arabic Script T-Shirt

Queens, NY - An Arab man says he was prevented from boarding a plane at Kennedy International Airport while wearing a T-shirt that said, "We will not be silent" in English and Arabic.

Raed Jarrar was preparing to board a JetBlue flight from Kennedy to Oakland, Calif, when four officials from JetBlue or from a government agency stopped him at the gate and told him he couldn't get on the plane wearing his shirt.
One of the officials told him, "Going to an airport with a T-shirt in Arabic script is like going to a bank and wearing a T-shirt that says 'I'm a robber," he said.

Jenny Dervin, a spokeswoman for JetBlue, acknowledged that the dispute occurred and said the airline was investigating it.

New York, NY - Vulgarity to Cop May Mean Jail

New York, NY - A New York City man could be sentenced to 15 days in jail for shouting an obscene and anatomically impossible insult at a police officer.
Ramon Morena was given a summons for an incident in March when an officer approached him on a street corner where he was reportedly having a loud argument, and shouting off his mouth at the cop.

In Morena's first court appearance, his lawyer argued civilians enjoy a First Amendment right to criticize and verbally challenge police officers, but Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Richard Weinberg disagreed.
Weinberg said that defense "would ... effectively carve out a police-officer exception from the disorderly conduct statute and to condone the heaping of verbal abuse upon a police officer regardless of the circumstances. This the court will not do."

Los Angeles, CA - Korean Grocery Group Sues Former Wal-Mart Executive For Remarks

Los Angeles, CA - A Korean grocers' group is suing former Wal-Mart Executive and U.N. ambassador Andrew Young for libel after Young said that Koreans were "ripping off" blacks.

Young -- who is also a former mayor of Atlanta -- resigned as head of a Wal-Mart advocacy group over his controversial comments.
In the interview, Young says, "First it was the Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs." That they "ripped off" urban communities for years, "selling us stale bread, and bad meat and wilted vegetables."
"those are the people who have been overcharging us, and they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough."

The suit filed in a Los Angeles County Superior Court also names Wal-Mart.
The grocers' group is seeking more than $7 million in damages.

St. Louis Park, MN - Synagogue Marked By Swastika

St. Louis Park, MN - Jewish leaders are concerned that a possible hate crime could mean danger for students at a St. Louis Park school.

Worshipers found a swastika outside Kenesseth Israel Synagogue as they arrived for evening prayers. And students start classes at Torah Academy across the street. And that has leaders concerned.
Teachers at Torah continue to get ready for their first day of school. But this first day will be different than planned. "We have things planned for the first day of school not because we're expecting anything, (but) because that is our responsibility," said Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg, the dean of Torah Academy. "We have to make sure that students who come here are safe and secure."

The precautions include undercover security, extra police patrols and locked doors. They're also getting the word out to staff, students and parents.

Monticello, NY - Owners of Apollo Plaza Mall Owe More Than $1 Million in Taxes

Monticello, NY - The broken-down Apollo Plaza mall has sat moldering in the shadow of the Sullivan County landfill since the village shut it down in 2003. And either developers Sam Backer, Uri Nussbaum and Harry Freifeld start paying taxes, or Sullivan County will take control of their property.

The developers owe more than $1 million in taxes to local governments, according to County Treasurer Ira Cohen.
Yet, so far, the three have been able to block a foreclosure by arguing in court over how much the property is worth for tax purposes.

This month, the developers, who also own the nearby Mountain Mall on East Broadway, agreed with the Town of Thompson that the plaza's worth $1 million.

If the county also accepts that settlement, it could lead to the removal of a court order stopping the foreclosure, Cohen said.
But Cohen noted that the county's not willing to follow through with the foreclosure right now.

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident on Avenue "F" and East 5th Street with a pedestrian that was struck Hatzolah responding BLS and ALS.

Santa Cruz, CA - Key to the City Unlocks Jewish Anger

Santa Cruz, CA - Local Jewish leaders, upset with Mayor Cynthia Mathews for giving the Palestinian ambassador a key to the city last month, want the mayor to publicly apologize for the symbolic gesture. Mathews said she has no plans to do so.

Mathews introduced Palestinian Ambassador Afif Safieh to an audience at the Veterans Memorial Building, and said that the city key was part of "a ceremonial welcome." At the time she called it a rare honor.
Safieh, spoke in Santa Cruz about failed diplomacy in the Middle East and laced his speech with remarks such as "Hezbollah is an amateur in terrorism compared with Israel," a quote repeated in a Sentinel article after the event.

Rabbi Rick Litvak and other Jewish leaders met with Mathews at City Hall to express their disappointment and seek an apology.
Mathews said Tuesday it was a private meeting to explain that presenting Safieh a key to the city was a decision she made on her own as mayor, not requiring City Council approval.
The gesture, she said, was not meant to take sides or endorse Palestinian politics, but rather to show support for Safieh's desire for peace and a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians over Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Egypt - South Sinai on High Security Alert

Egypt - The southern part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula was placed on a high security alert after Israel warned its citizens of an imminent terror attacks.
Police also intensified efforts to detect five unidentified militants believed to be carrying explosives and plotting attacks against foreigners inside the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik.

Authorities received a tip through confessions by suspected militants currently in police custody about the five fugitives and their plot two days ago.
According to Brig. Gen. Hossam el-Serfi, hundreds of Israeli tourists started leaving the Sinai through the Taba border crossing following instructions from Israeli authorities not to travel to the popular vacation destination.
Police tripled the number of check points on the way leading to south Sinai resorts including Sharm el-Sheik, Taba and Dahab.

Though other security officials in Cairo privately said no security alert was in effect, el-Serfi said police and anti-terrorism troops were deployed around major hotels in the Sinai.
Authorities also increased the number of ambulances and doctors at major hospitals in the region, Said Essa, head of emergency section of south Sinai hospitals, said.

Douglas, AK - Synagogue Vandalized

Douglas, AK - Police are investigating a vandalism spree in Douglas when vandals spray-painted swastikas and gang-related graffiti in Cope Park at downtown Juneau and Cordova and Nowell avenues in Douglas.

The vandals marked the front door of a the synagogue in Douglas, a retaining wall, fences and a Head Start school bus.
But police say because the graffiti was so widespread, they don't believe the synagogue was specifically targeted.

Catskill, NY - Group Wants a Compassionate Retirement for the Animals of Catskill Game Farm

Catskill, NY - A newly formed local group is concerned with the well-being of the animals that are sold when Catskill Game Farm closes for good this fall and the owner sells them off.

Advocates for Game Farm Animals is a regional coalition of animal sanctuaries, non-profits and individuals, who have asked the park’s owners to consider “a compassionate retirement” for the animals.

The group said there has been no reply.

AGFA Chairman James Van Alstine said they are concerned about the possible sale of animals to private owners, second rate zoos or worse. “Our worst fear is that either directly or indirectly many of the animals may wind up in canned hunts, what are largely called hunting preserves or shooting clubs, where clients pay for the privilege of shooting an exotic species animal on private land,” he said. “That’s a legal practice, but even among hunters, it is usually considered quite unethical.”

Deal, NJ - Yeshiva Fighting Off Foreclosure

Deal, NJ - Saying they are owed millions in unpaid loans, two banks have moved to foreclose on the main campuses of the Deal Yeshiva, a 300-student Jewish school once real estate investor Solomon Dwek.
But the yeshiva's lawyer said one of the lenders, Amboy National Bank, had agreed to issue the yeshiva a new $4.7 million, 18-month, interest-only balloon loan that will pay off the overdue loans.

The foreclosure lawsuits that were filed against the yeshiva, which has buildings in West Long Branch and Ocean Township, came after the nonprofit group in recent months stopped making payments on more than $5.3 million in loans, according to Amboy and the second bank, Sovereign Bank.
The new Amboy loan "will give them some breathing room to get their financial house in order and to get their contribution list back up.

Like any nonprofit they rely on contributions," said William F. Maderer, the yeshiva's lawyer. "They fully expect and anticipate their sources of income and contributions will allow them to move forward."

It is unclear why the yeshiva stopped paying the loans. Its assets are not under court control.

Newton, MA - Hannon Says House Sale by Religious Group is Held

Newton, MA - An offer to buy the most controversial plot of privately owned land in Newton is still on the table, said the property’s owner, Pat Hannon.     

But the alleged multimillion-dollar offer from a buyer with plans to build a summer camp on Hannon’s land at Crystal Lake is being held up by the latest legal battle over the lake.
Hannon is seeking an injunction against the city in Middlesex County Superior Court that would prevent him from having to repair a stone wall on his property adjacent to the municipal swimming area, and at the same time compel the city to remove or replace a wooden retaining wall of its own at the Gil Bathhouse.

The city contends Hannon’s stone wall is falling down and a safety hazard. Hannon said contaminants in the pressure-treated wood in the city’s wall could poison the lake.  
A ruling for the city could cause the prospective buyer of the property, identified by Hannon only as a "religious group," to rethink its offer, he said, as they value the property for its unfettered access and control of the beach.
The suit, which Hannon said could be heard as early as Friday, is the latest in a series of actions he has taken against the city for its operation of the public bathing area at Crystal Lake. It was transferred from Massachusetts Land Court to Superior Court by a judge earlier in August.

Reports said the initial offer was around $8.5 million.

Manhattan, NY +Haz-Mat Incident+

Manhattan, NY +Haz-Mat Incident+ FDNY EMS responding to the Regent Hotel at 2 East 55th Street in Manhattan for an aided that is uncoscious from fumes of wood finishing products.

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Village Buys Property for Water Towers

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - The Village of Kiryas Joel has bought a half-acre strip beside the Gonzaga park property and plans to build two water towers 100 feet from the spot where Orange County denied permission to install them.

The new location neatly bypasses the angry objections to parkland encroachment that derailed the project in July. But it could open a new round of fighting, this time over how much input Woodbury has on the installation of the tanks.
Kiryas Joel Administrator argues that state law allows one municipality to build inside another without seeking planning board approval or a building permit. He said he plans to submit the paperwork to Woodbury for comments, but only as a courtesy. In his view, the only agency that needs to sign off on the plans is the Orange County Health Department.

Woodbury Supervisor John Burke, who fought the earlier proposal on the principle that parkland is sacred, said that he still had concerns about the towers and would ask the town's lawyers if Kiryas Joel could truly skip the planning process. "Water towers can't just be put up willy-nilly, anyplace," he said.

Kiryas Joel paid a private landowner $200,000 for a half-acre of woods with the same elevation as the Gonzaga location. The seller was none other than Ziggy Brach, a prominent opponent of Kiryas Joel's political leaders.
Asked about the deal, Brach said the community's water needs transcended politics. He felt that opposition to the tanks had been "overly, overly done."

France - Holocaust Victim's Families Demand $162M From Government

France - Buoyed by a recent French court decision, families of hundreds of Holocaust victims are demanding more than $162 million from the government of France and the country's national railroad.

Letters making the demands went out to the French Interior Ministry and to SNCF, lawyer, Harriet Tamen, said. The 378 letters request reparations for the pain and suffering that hundreds of victims and survivors endured.
In all, Ms. Tamen said she represents the families of 671 Holocaust victims and 111 survivors who were interned in French camps and then transported by French rail eastward and mostly to their deaths, she said.

200 other families are also planning to file such letters in France. "I expect they're going to ignore the letters and then we're going to have to go to court in France," Ms. Tamen said, referring to SNCF and the French government.

Monsey, NY - Adult Home Residents May Have Been Told Whom To Vote For

Monsey, NY - An official with a Monsey adult home may have threatened and coerced residents there to vote for certain candidates, county election officials said.

Board of Elections inspectors, sent to collect absentee ballots at the New Monsey Park Home for Adults, reported to the commissioners that residents there had been given a list of candidates and told if they didn't vote accordingly their television privileges would be revoked.

The inspectors reported that the lists were handed out by Yitzy Ullman, who is listed on the county's Web site as the home's administrator. Ullman called the charges "disgraceful and insulting" and said that while the facility distributed the list to all residents as a recommendation, no threats were ever made.  "Residents routinely ask the office for advice," he said. "They're coming up and saying 'Who should we vote for?' " Ullman said.

Board of Elections Commissioners Ann Marie Kelly and Joan Silvestri said they have statements from all eight inspectors who visited the home and that they have been turned over to the county's district attorney and the state Board of Elections.

The candidates on the list, were Assembly candidate David Fried, County Legislature candidate Alden Wolfe and County Court judge candidates Charles Apotheker and Tom Walsh. All are Democrats.

Edison NJ - Council Members OK Rabbi as Police Chaplain

Edison NJ - The Township Council unanimously approved a resolution in support of Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg to be named chaplain of the Police Department.
"It is fitting and proper to support his position as rabbi," said Councilman Salvatore Pizzi at the council meeting. "He is a man of courage and conviction who recently toured the hot spots of Israel. It is my honor to support this resolution."

"I think he deserves to not only stay on, but the respect he is asking for is not an extreme request," said Councilwoman Antonia Ricigliano.

The council also passed a resolution calling for an ordinance that formally establishes the position of fire and police chaplain.

After the meeting, Rosenberg said that he was "grateful" to the council for having faith in him. "The next step is the ordinance, as the resolution itself doesn't make me the chaplain," Rosenberg said. "From what I understand, is that the resolution only recommends."

Mayor Jun Choi said after the meeting that he had not yet made a decision on the position of chaplain. "I will consider the council resolution on this appointment," Choi said.

Rosenberg has been the township's public safety chaplain, but until now, the only paperwork the township has had on the position was a resolution dating back to 1995 when then-Mayor George A. Spadoro appointed him for a one-year term, to be compensated at a stipend of $2,500 per year.

The duties also included providing sensitivity training to township employees.
Councilman Pizzi confirmed that the $2,500 stipend would continue to be paid to the holder of the position.

Brooklyn, NY - Borough President Calls Out Department of Buildings on Enforcement

Brooklyn, NY - In a letter to the Department of Buildings (DOB) deputy commish Robert LiMandri, Borough Prez Marty Markowitz expressed concern at the agency's failure to adequately police architects, developers and contractors during the building boom of this recent years.
"It is imperative that the agency staff view not just the construction industry as their client base, but view with equal importance the responsibility of protecting public interest," wrote Markowitz. "I call on every city agency charged with the monitoring and enforcement of construction rules and standards to work with my office, so that legally mandated construction schedules are followed and violators are fined heavily, to ensure the continued safety and quality of life all Brooklynites deserves."

Beirut, Lebanon +No Unconditional Release Of Captured Israeli Soldiers+

Beirut, Lebanon - A Hezbollah Cabinet minister has said there will be no unconditional release of two captured Israeli soldiers, and that the group will only free them as part of a prisoner exchange.

U/D:
Jesse Jackson said that two Israeli soldiers who were captured by Hezbollah guerrillas are reportedly alive, as is a third soldier seized earlier by Palestinian militants.

London - Jewish Lawmaker Assaulted

London - A Jewish member of Britain’s House of Lords was assaulted by another member of Parliament who had just made anti-Israel comments.
Lord Janner was hit by Lord Bramall after a verbal skirmish.
Janner, a leading member of Britain’s Jewish community, said that he had accepted Bramall’s apology.

Long Island, NY - Jewish Lifeguards Claim Bias at Jones Beach

Long Islan, NY - Controversy is growing this summer over complaints from a group of Jewish lifeguards who say they have been harassed, unfairly disciplined and made the subject of a police investigation instigated by Jones Beach lifeguard administrators.

Officials with the state, which runs Jones Beach, acknowledged criminal investigations and disciplinary actions taken against several of the guards, citing suspicions of fraud and other infractions. But they vehemently denied that this is bias charges.
At least six Jewish lifeguards say they have been seized upon by administrators who have fabricated petty infractions and used the State Park Police to “appear to intimidate and persecute lifeguards the state wants to get rid of,” said one lifeguard, some were being investigated by the State Park Police regarding the legitimacy of their CPR certification.

“No one has explicitly said, ‘Let’s get the Jews,’ but we are looking at a whole bunch of ‘coincidences’ that I’d just like an explanation for,” said Mr. Lester, a lawyer who works as a lifeguard on the weekends. "All I want is a simple answer why the state is using their police force to investigate their own lifeguards over a CPR card.”

Officials with the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation dismissed the bias charges, and said the lifeguards making the accusations were disgruntled employees who were using baseless discrimination claims to further their union agenda and try to tar their employers.
“They’re playing the race card, and it’s thoroughly disgusting, because if we do get a legitimate complaint of something off-color, now that victim will be said to be crying wolf,’’

Albany, NY - Governor Pataki Announces Grants for Village of Kiryas Joel

Albany, NY - Governor George Pataki announced grants to enhance public services in five communities in the Hudson Valley. The Governor's Office for Small Cities Community Development Program funding will support community projects in Orange, Putnam, Ulster, and Sullivan counties.

For the Village of Kiryas Joel it will be granted $400,000 grant to provide water meters to 1,720 households and identify the source of excessive loss suffered by the municipal water supply. The new radio transmitter water meters will provide approximately $160,600 annual cost savings benefits to all 13,138 village residents.

Berlin, Germany - Minister Apologizes for Buchenwald Speech

Berlin, Germany - A German junior minister has apologized for a speech he gave at a concert commemorating Buchenwald concentration camp in which he was accused of passing over the suffering of its victims.

Hermann Schaefer, deputy minister of state for cultural affairs, said he had made the wrong speech at the opening of an arts festival in the eastern city of Weimar and that he did not mean to overlook the camp's victims. "I would do it differently today, I'll admit that quite openly," he said. "I didn't know there were concentration camp survivors sitting in the front row."
"I'm sorry and I apologize for it. I could have included them more strongly in the speech and probably should have."

Schaefer spoke ahead of the festival's opening concert "remembering Buchenwald" but had to break off because of loud protests from the crowd.
His speech concentrated on the flight and expulsion of Germans from eastern territories in World War Two and did not address Buchenwald's victims.

Around 11,000 Jews died n the camp, one of the biggest on German soil.

Queens, NY +Injured MOS in Prison+

Queens, NY +Injured MOS in Prison+ EMS and NYPD are on the scene at Rikers Island Detention Center for an injured Corrections Officer with a laceration to the face, there are also two injured prisoners.

Ramapo, NY - Charges to be Dropped Against Building Inspector

Ramapo, NY - Criminal charges stemming from a traffic accident earlier this year against former Ramapo Building Inspector Brian Brophy will be dropped in a year, provided he stays out of trouble. That was the agreement reached by prosecutors and defense lawyers in Clarkstown Town Court.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Maria DeSimone announced the decision she and Brophy's lawyer, F. Hollis Griffin of Pearl River, had agreed to while in a conference in Judge Scott Ugell's chambers.
Brophy waited in the courtroom as the lawyers and the judge discussed the case for just over 20 minutes.
After the agreement Judge Ugell asked Brophy if he had any questions.
"Dismissal equates to it never happening, right?" Brophy asked.
"Yes," the judge responded.

Brophy, 57, of Valley Cottage had pled not guilty to a marijuana charge and three traffic violations and resigned from his town job after he was injured in a Jan. 30 car accident on the New York State Thruway.
State police reported finding marijuana and an envelope containing $6,400 in $100 bills in the town-owned sport utility vehicle that Brophy was driving.

Ugell said this type of agreement is common in cases like Brophy's.

New York, NY - Number of Food Stamp Users Drops Again

New York, NY - For the second year in a row, the number of New York City residents receiving food stamps has fallen during the summer after rising during the rest of the year, a pattern that has raised questions among advocates for the needy about whether eligible people find it too cumbersome to apply for assistance.

Fluctuations in food stamp enrollment are closely monitored because of the sheer number of people served. Last month, 1,087,115 city residents used food stamps, a slight decline from 1,095,202 in June and 1,098,225 in May.

When a similar decline occurred between May and August of last year, the agency described it as a statistical anomaly and predicted that it was a one-time event. The fact that it has happened again struck some experts as odd.

Westport NY +Several Dead In Tour Bus Crash+

Essex County, Westport NY +Several Dead In Tour Bus Crash+ Multiple passengers were injured when a Greyhound bus rolledover down an enbankment, traveling from New York City to Montreal on the northbound I-87 Adirondack Northway M/M 115.0 at Exit 31 in the Adirondacks. NY State Police report so far five DOS's and mulitiple serious injured, extended operation with extrication ongoing, I-87 is closed at Exit 30.

U/D 22:58
Montrol Hatzolah reporting, there are three people injured that they are requested for. But no fatalities and Montreol Hatzolah and Montreol Ezras Cholim (Chesed) are responding to the scene.


Greyhound has set up an information hotline for friends and families of passengers at 800-972-4583.

Washington - U.S. Highway Deaths On The Rise

Washington - Traffic deaths last year reached the highest level since 1990, propelled by an increase in motorcycle and pedestrian fatalities. And the overall fatality rate was up for the first time in 20 years.
Motorcyclists' deaths rose for an eighth straight year, the government said. Nearly half the riders were not wearing helmets.

Some 43,443 people were killed on the highways last year, up 1.4 percent from 42,836 in 2004, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. It was the highest number in a single year since 1990, when 44,599 people were killed.

Flood watch in effect for Sullivan and Pike Counties

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Sullivan and Pike counties through this afternoon. Current forecasts indicate 1-3 inches of rain are possible causing small streams to rise considerably by this afternoon.

Belgrade - US Citizen Responsible for Anti-Semitic Attack

Belgrade - A US citizen has reported to police claiming he was responsible for the anti-Semitic incident in Belgrade.
The US citizen has reported to police since in his words, his conscience does not allow him for the event to be blown out of proportion, since he “did not beat, but hit Yariv Avram”, after Avram allegedly pinched him.
The unidentified US citizen will be charged for causing light bodily harm.

Bojana Petković and Yariv Avram were beaten by hooligans wearing Nazi t-shirts and singing Nazi songs, and police present at the concert held at Belgrade’s Tašmajdan stadium have done nothing to locate the perpetrators.

The Israeli citizen said that instead of entering the stadium, have ran into a group of skinheads on the stairs. “They surrounded us singing ‘Auschwitz’ to me. They yelled at me that I am a bloody Jew and asked me whether I knew what my country did to theirs. They shouted: go to Germany. Then my friend stepped in and we started running, but they caught up with us and started beating us with all their might. They hit me on the head, one of them hit my eye. They hit my friend too. It was horrible”, Yariv Avram recounted.
“We started running, but they surrounded us again and started beating us. Yariv was hit on the head and body, and they kicked me around. We somehow managed to reach the police”, Bojana Petković said. Yariv Avram now has a stitched forehead, while his friend is covered in bruises.

Queens, NY +MVA+

Queens, NY +MVA+ A three car motor vehicle accident on Jewel Avenue between 111th Street and 112th Street has Hatzolah requesting two ambulances.

U/D: 10:09
Hatzolah cancel all further. No one injured.

Long Beach, CA - Bomb Threat by Florida Student to JetBlue Flight

Long Beach, CA - Authorities have arrested 21-year-old Yechezkel Wells, after he called in a bomb threat from a public phone to the Long Beach Airport because he arrived late for his flight and was prevented from boarding, and he is being held at a federal detention center in Los Angeles following his arrest, FBI Special Agent Kenneth Smith said. He was arrested by local law enforcement at the airport based on unspecified information in his call.

Wells is accused of calling in the threat after he arrived only minutes before a JetBlue flight to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was scheduled to leave and was denied a boarding pass, Smith said.
It was not immediately known which college he attends. "He admitted that there was no bomb and admitted he was upset because he wasn't allowed to board the plane," Smith said.

The plane departed about an hour late after authorities using bomb-sniffing dogs determined it was safe.

Three friends traveling with Wells all on there way back from a wedding, were also detained but released after being questioned.


U/D: 08/29/06
Yechezkel made an initial appearance in federal court in Los Angeles, and for now he is being released on $100,000 bond.
While on bail, he will only be allowed to leave home on a limited basis and must return to Los Angeles for his arraignment in federal court Sept. 18.

Defense attorney Donald Etra says his client is being prosecuted for "one moment of gross stupidity." And his client realizes the seriousness of what he did "in the severity of today's world."

Berlin, Germany - Publicizes its Compensation for the Holocaust

Berlin, Germany - the Germany government said that they have paid out about 80.6 billion dollars in compensation for the Holocaust since 1949.

This has also been confirmed by the Deusche Presse Agentur (DPA) but without giving further information.

Scranton, PA - Board OK's School Sale to Hasidic Community

Scranton, PA - Pending approval by Lackawanna County Court, the closed East Intermediate School on Quincy Avenue will have a new owner.

The Scranton School Board approved selling the building, which has been closed about four years, to a 5,000- to 7,000-member Hasidic Jewish community based in Brooklyn, N.Y., for $400,000. One hundred families plan to relocate to the area initially and use the building for a school, with up to 1,000 more moving in the future. The community members are expected to open businesses as well.

Board approval was unanimous by a 7-0 vote. Board members Joseph Garvey and Frank Brazill were absent.
The offer was the only one on the table. A previous interest, which indicated it planned to use the building for student housing, pulled out.

Board member Robert Lesh said he knows the selling price seems like a small amount to some people for such a large building, but he believes the community’s move will act as a catalyst for revitalizing that section of the Hill neighborhood. “We’re enthusiastic,” board president Brian Jeffers said after the meeting. “We believe it’s going to bring great commerce into this city, and we wish our new neighbors the best.”

The district will have to provide services as needed to the Hasidic school at an as yet unknown cost including nursing and transportation, Mr. Jeffers said.
Teri Backus of Realtec One Source Realty, which represents the Hasidic community, said she plans to meet with the group this week to discuss plans to move the first 10 families here. She was unsure when the school would open, noting repairs are needed to the building.

Brooklyn, NY +Tzeduka Pishka Theft Caught+

Brooklyn, NY +Tzeduka Pishka Theft Caught+ NYPD have nabbed an 18-year-old woman and she is being charged with burglary for stealing from the Tzeduka Pishka at a Kensington synagogue.

Mikhail Tamrazyan of Ocean Parkway stole cash from the Tzeduka Pishka inside the Hamizrach Ohr Synagogue at 347 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, NY.

Tehran, Iran +Iranian President Wants to Debate President Bush

Tehran, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposes having a televised debate with President Bush on world issues.

Brooklyn, NY +House Collapse+

Brooklyn, NY +House Collapse+ Fire Department and PD are on the scene at 1533 39th Street for the 2nd floor roof and ceiling that collapsed at this 2 story 25x80 vacant building under construction, also did the 2nd floor walls collapse, side building being evacuated at this time.
Department of Buildings being requested.

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident on Kings Highway and Ocean Avenue with a pedestrian that was struck, Hatzolah responding.

Lakewood, NJ +Traffic Alert+

Lakewood, NJ +Traffic Alert+ A motor vehicle accident with one vehicle into a tree an aided injured on the southbound of the Garden State Parkway has EMS requesting Medics, traffic slow to the area.

Loch Scheldrake, NY +Overturned Vehicle+

Loch Scheldrake, NY +Overturned Vehicle+ A motor vehicle accident on Brickman Road near Morningside Park with vehicle that overturned, all aided out of the vehicle, Hatzolah on the scene.

Glen Spey, NY - Odor Make Bad Neighbors

Glen Spey, NY - Twelve-year-old Ronald Schneider Jr. has been sick lately with gastrointestinal troubles that have left him listless and dehydrated. His parents, Mercedes and Ron Schneider, believe his illness is being caused by a neighbor’s sewage treatment facility.
The neighbor, Camp Simcha, is a year-round camping facility serving seriously ill Jewish children. Founded in 1986 by Rabbi Simcha Scholar, the 125-acre facility is owned by Chai Lifeline, an international non-profit organization with four regional branches in the United States and associate branches in Israel and Europe.

The Schneiders bought their Glen Spey home across the street from Lake Diana in 1993. The property adjoined to Camp Simcha. Until five years ago relations were friendly between these neighbors, lately they have become strained by complaints of odor and noise. the Schneiders said they never until now noticed an odor problem coming from the camp’s sewage treatment system, which lies just across the property line from their backyard.
But now a stench drifts through their yard and the windows, and they've been advised to stay inside and close the windows when the stench rises. But they don't feel it’s fair, and with climbing summer temperatures, it’s not a workable solution.

The Schneiders said the problem might be related to the number of people now attending the camp and the sewage system’s capacity to handle the waste being generated. According to camp director Rabbi Abe Kunstlinger, there are approximately 375 people at the facility, including campers and staff members. The Schneiders allege that this number is surpassed at times.

The New York State Department of Conservation (DEC) filed an Order of Consent against the camp for violation of its SPDES permit after inspections in August and November 2004 determined that “sewage was being bypassed around the wastewater treatment system.” The camp avoided a civil penalty of $5,000 by completing the terms of a compliance schedule, which included replacement of various system components.
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) inspected the camp’s system last week and reported that the agency is working with the camp operator and its engineering consultant to minimize any odors. Kunstlinger said that the camp recently began adding an industrial deodorizer to the system and has constructed a “15-foot temporary wall” to help deter the airflow away from the Schneider’s property.

The Schneiders said that the wall appears to consist of blue plastic tarps that have begun to fall down. And they haven't noticed a reduction in odor from the industrial deodorizer.

Crown Heights Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Crown Heights Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ a motor vehicle accident on Sterling Place between Brooklyn and Kinkston Avenue with a pedestrian that was struck, Hatzolah responding.

U/D: 18:34
Hatzolah canceling all incoming members to the scene

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY - Swastika Puts Brooklyn Sephardim on Alert

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY - A coalition of Sephardic Jews are offering $1,000 to help capture whoever scrawled a swastika on a Flatbush dentist's home on East 1st Street between Avenues S and T.  

Flanked by State Senator Martin Golden, City Council Member Domenic Recchia Jr., and other politicians who represent the area, the Sephardic Community Federation plans to denounce the graffiti as a hate crime and call upon the New York City Police Department to step up their patrols of the area. Flatbush a section of Brooklyn, has more than 30,000 Jewish households, spokesman Aaron Troodler said. The police are investigating.

Is Noah Dear a Black Guy?

Brooklyn, NY - Close watchers of Brooklyn politics know he started doing this in 2004, but he's still at it: The former Borough Park Councilman formerly known as "Noach" Dear in the Jewish section of Brooklyn, NY is again campaigning in a largely black Senate district, and he's again dropped the "c" from his name for that purpose, calling himself "Noah".

Flyers posted on Cortelyou Road about minority health-care features some pictures of eight people, all people of color. The image of Noah Dear, curiously, doesn't appear anywhere in the piece. And it reads, Noah Dear has the plan to ensure that we ALL get the best health care.

Dear, who is running against Kevin Parker, said his names are "interchangeable" and that we shouldn't read anything into the switch.

Kharkov, Ukrainian - Jewish Community Upset as City Plans to Build Near Ghetto Site

Kharkov, Ukrainian - Jews in Ukraine's second-largest city are protesting a plan to build a residential area near the site of a World War II-era Jewish ghetto.

Leaders of the Jewish community appealed to city authorities to halt the construction of an apartment complex that would require some Holocaust memorial markers to be removed from the area.
In a letter to the mayor, Jewish leaders, described the plan as unacceptable because it would affect the site "where probably the most tragic events in the history of our city took place."

During the World War II occupation of Ukraine, the area proposed for new construction contained barracks from which thousands of Jews were marched to Drobitsky Yar on the outskirts of the city. There, Nazis and local collaborators killed more than 15,000 Jews in December 1941 and January 1942, and at one time was used to bury those killed in the ghetto.
The area under construction has a memorial zone dedicated in 1992 that contains several Holocaust markers, including the Wall of Sorrow and a sign commemorating Righteous Among the Nations. Jewish leaders said they were outraged to learn that officials agreed to move those signs to a nearby location to make room for the apartment buildings.

The letters to Mayor Mikhail Dobkin and other city officials have not affected the plans, community sources say.
Ironically, Dobkin is Jewish, as are the owners of Privat Bank -- which, is funding the construction or, according to Volovik and some other Jewish activists, is to own the planned apartment complex.

Bank co-owners Igor Kolomoysky and Gennady Bogolyubov, and the chairman of its board, Alexander Dubilet, all hold honorary titles in the Ukrainian Jewish community, and alls to the bank and City Hall went unanswered.

Bronx, NY +Second Firefighter Dies From Yesterdays Store Fire+

Bronx, NY - One rookie firefighter was killed Sunday after a burning store collapsed in the Bronx. A second firefighter of Engine Company 42 a 20-year veteran, who was in very critical condition at Montefiore Medical Center, died today.

New Orleans - Teen Marks Katrina Anniversary With Torah Gift

New Orleans - The philanthropic initiative of a Los Angeles teenager brought joy and solace to one storm-shattered New Orleans Jewish congregation when they received a gift a Sefer Torah.
"Although I haven't met all of you, you've been in my heart and hopes for the last year," Hayley Fields told about 200 congregants gathered for the dedication of a new Torah to the orthodox Jewish Congregation of Beth Israel.

A fund-raising drive spurred by the 14-year-old from Los Angeles led to the dedication of the holy scriptures. "What a way to commemorate one year following the hurricane," said Jackie Gothard, Beth Israel's president, whose eyes welled with tears as Hayley spoke. "This is truly a milestone in our recovery."
The anniversary of which will be marked Tuesday -- devastated Beth Israel's synagogue that was located on the city's Canal Street, about half a mile from a levee breach. Everything was destroyed, including about 3,000 prayer books and seven Torahs, many of them more than 100 years old. They were subsequently buried in the synagogue's cemetery, in accordance with Jewish tradition.

The dedicated Torah cloaked in blue velvet cloth with an inscription to Beth Israel sewn in gold thread, was hand-carried under a white canopy down a one-block stretch to Gates of Prayer Synagogue. About 50 people sang, danced, clapped and snapped photos as the two-man Panorama Jazz Band played lively, traditional music on a clarinet and an accordion.

Inside the hall, the Torah's wooden handles were dressed with the new crowns and the breast plate was placed over the fabric before the scriptures were placed in the ark. A few minutes later, the ark was reopened, the scroll removed, as the audience burst into song. "I feel so excited that I am able to participate in some say to help the New Orleans Jewish community," Hayley said. "Because of Katrina, some people lost hope and faith. A Torah is so important to providing hope and faith."

Indianapolis, IN +Plane Crash+

Indianapolis, IN +Plane Crash+ A small plane crashed into Retention Pond at 234 Canvasback Drive, PD FD and Rescue Crew are all on the scene.

All victims are out at this time.

Iran - President Claims Allies Invented Holocaust

Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in which he stated that the Holocaust was invented by the allies in order to embarrass Germany.

Also according to Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly denied the Holocaust, the countries that were victorious in World War II should have allowed the refugees to settle in their countries instead of promoting their settlement in "conquered Palestine". This, he argued, has created a permanent threat in the Middle East.

Queens, NY +Roach Bomb Explosion+

Queens, NY +Roach Bomb Explosion+ Fire Department on the scene using 2E's and 2T's in Astoria Queens at a 4 story multiple dwelling building at 31-11 Crescent Street and 31st St. at apartment 2D, for a roach bomb that exploded inside an apartment blowing out the windows and buckling a wall between two appartments.

Buildings Department was requested to the scene.

Berlin, Germany - Officials Back Jewish Property Claim

Berlin, Germany - State asset authorities have approved a Jewish group's claim against KarstadtQuelle for the property in downtown Berlin seized by the Nazis and now worth at least 145 million euros (185 million dollars).

The Federal Agency for Unresolved Property Questions has ruled the heirs of the Wertheim retail dynasty - who were driven out of Germany by the Nazis in the 1930s - can reclaim the property, The property in question is on the Lenne-Dreieck on Potsdamer Platz and belonged to the Wertheim department store dynasty.

The claim involves 20,000 square metres of prime real estate on Berlin's prestigious Potsdamer Platz which is also claimed by the struggling department store and mail order giant KarstadtQuelle AG. 
Located at what used to be the Berlin Wall, the property was given for free by the city
government of Berlin to the KarstadtQuelle forerunner Hertie in the early 1990s.

The ruling by the Federal Agency shows that KarstadtQuelle was not the legal owner of the property.

A lawyer for the Wertheim heirs, Matthias Druba, called on KarstadtQuelle CEO Thomas Middelhoff to accept the ruling and not to begin any further lawsuits over the property.
But KarstadtQuelle plans to appeal the decision and will go to the Germanys highest court if needed, a KarstadtQuelle spokesman said. He denied reports that the disputed amount was more than 145 million euros ($186 million).

Shares of KarstadtQuelle fell more than 2 percent.

Brooklyn, NY - Attorney General Spitzer Investigating Local Developer

Brooklyn, NY - A developer who plans to transform the banks of Brooklyn’s Lavender Lake into a designer subdivision called Gowanus Village is facing a state investigation and legal complaints from construction workers and dozens of disgruntled condo owners.

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is examining a claim by 200 construction workers that developer Shaya Boymelgreen failed to pay overtime for the past three years - the same charge that is being heard in a separate class-action suit at state Supreme Court.
Spitzer’s lawyers are also arbitrating complaints from Park Slope condo owners who bought Boymelgreen apartments only to discover that the windows didn’t keep out the rain, walls weren’t properly insulated and bad engineering meant moldy cellars.
“It was a little shocking to see all the problems in the home we bought,” said Scott Sucher, president of the Park Slope Estates condo board. Sucher was surprised mostly because Boymelgreen’s name is increasingly attached to high-end real-estate.

The developer has been banking on the market power of Brooklyn’s stroller revolution since the late 1990s, snapping up gritty residential blocks and remaking them. This year, he expects to finish construction on the 12-story luxury Park Slope Tower on Fourth Avenue at Fifth Street as well as another apartment tower on Second Street and Fourth Avenue, and a condo-hotel at 75 Smith St., at Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill.

Brooklyn, NY +Brooklyn Bridge Traffic Alert+

Brooklyn, NY +Brooklyn Bridge Traffic Alert+ A motor vehicle accident on the Manhattan bound of the Brooklyn Bridge, has the NYPD close down all lanes of the bridge going to the island.

Yorktown, NY - Fatal Hit-and-Run MVA

Yorktown, NY - A 25-year-old Brooklyn man turned himself to police after, his car struck a Yorktown couple - killing the husband Roger Roth and seriously injuring his wife Diane Roth - as they were crossing Ninth Avenue in Manhattan.

Lameen Witter faces felony charges of leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death and leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in serious physical injury. He is also charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor.

The crash killed 53-year-old Roger Roth, and sent 51-year-old Diane Roth into intensive care at St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan. She is now in stable condition.
Neighbors described the couple as being more than just husband and wife: They also seemed to need nothing more out of life than each other's company.
They did not have children and they tended to keep to themselves, and both took the train to work.

Dan Birenbaum, a Spring Meadow Road neighbor, said his wife just rode the train into Manhattan with Diane a few days before the accident. He was relieved to hear of Diane's improving condition, and he said there was not a single negative thing he could say about the couple after having known them for more than a decade.
"You would have liked to have them as friends and neighbors," Birenbaum said. "They were just decent, wonderful people."

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

Brooklyn, NY +B.Q.E. Traffic Alert+ A fatal motor vehicle accident on the Westbound B.Q.E. at Furman Street involving a NY City Sanitation truck that hit 150' of guardrail and was hanging over the ledge with the driver ejected from the truck and fell 30 feet down to the street below and is DOA at Bellvue Hospital, has shut down the all lanes of the westbound side of the Brookly Queens Expressway between the Brooklyn Bridge and Atlantic Avenue Exits, NYPD Highway division and A.I.S. with all other svs including DOT, FD are on the scene for the ongoing A.I. Job. and the large diesel fuel spill.

Extensive delays in both directions.

Manhattan, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Manhattan, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident on the West Side Highway and Christopher Street with a pedestrian that was struck, Hatzolah responding.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident on 50th Street and 13th Avenue with a pedestrian that was struck, Hatzolah responding.

Brooklyn, NY +Serious Assault+

Brooklyn, NY +Serious Assault+ Aided victim of an assault is injured at East 32nd Street between Avenue's "K" and "L" Hatzolah responding.

Ankara, Turkey +Three Blasts at Mediterranean Resort+

Ankara, Turkey +Three Blasts at Mediterranean Resort+ A bomb blast blew apart a minibus in a Turkish tourist resort injuring 21 people including 10 British tourists.
The explosion was in the popular Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris.

There were two other bomb blasts at the same time in garbage cans on the main boulevard in Marmaris. The area is lined with bars, clubs, cafes and restaurants. There were no reports of injuries in those blasts.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on Union Street and Kingston Avenue, hatzolah on the scene requested Medics on a rush and transported aided to local hospital.

Washington - Jesse Jackson Plans Humanitarian Trip to Mideast

Washington - Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson plans to travel to the Middle East to lead a group of Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders to shore up the cease-fire in Lebanon and ensure humanitarian aid was administered properly.
"We're appealing for the cease-fire to continue and to address the humanitarian crisis and we want to know the status of all the people in prison, all of them," Jackson said.

Jackson said he would visit Syria first, where he is to meet with President Assad on Monday, and then travel to Lebanon Tuesday and Wednesday before traveling to Israel.
He said he had tried to go to the region during the height of the fighting but had been unable to get in.
"Now there is a window and we are organizing a humanitarian mission," he said.

Jackson said he would also work to ensure Jewish soldiers captured by Hizbollah and Palestinian prisoners were treated humanely and released. "We hope all sides can see the value of reconciliation and ending the course of contention," he said.

Tallahassee, FL +State of Emergency Due to Hurricane+

Tallahassee, FL +State of Emergency Due to Hurricane+ Gov. Jeb Bush has ordered a state of emergency for Florida because of the threat from Hurricane Ernesto.

Also did officials issue a mandatory hurricane evacuation of Florida Keys visitors.

U/D 16:34
The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Ernesto back to a tropical storm.

Old Bridge, NJ - Town Commends Police in Arrest of Suspect that Assault Orthodox Jewish Woman

Old Bridge, NJ - There is no way to repay the police officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect the community.
But a stack of citations and a standing ovation is a good place to start, township officials said.

Police Chief Thomas Collow and Mayor James Phillips praised the efforts of 10 township officers and detectives who helped arrest a suspect in the assault of an Orthodox Jewish woman last month.
"These detectives and officers got involved in good old-fashioned police work," Collow said during a Council meeting. "They absolutely deserve the recognition they're getting because they are the finest investigative branch."

In July, township police charged Brandon J. Fritz, 21, of Lakewood, with attempted aggravated assault, second-degree robbery, second-degree burglary and third-degree theft after he allegedly broke in to an Old Bridge home and tried to assault a 48-year-old woman, who returned home while he was there. The suspect was reportedly attempting to steal from the home, which he had visited a day earlier as part of a sprinkler installation crew.
Since the woman reportedly recognized the man from the work crew, police were able to track him down and arrest him as the suspect.

Police thought Fritz matched a sketch of the man wanted in a Lakewood assault. In that case, a 20-year-old Orthodox Jewish woman was abducted May 7 as she was leaving the Trim Gym Fitness Center behind a ShopRite supermarket at Route 9 at Kennedy Boulevard. The assailant took the victim back to the fitness center the following morning, according to police.
The Old Bridge Police Department worked with Lakewood authorities, and Fritz was later charged with aggravated assault and kidnapping, relating to the Lakewood rape. His bail was set at $1 million.

Rostov, Russia - Court Frees Man Who Made Death Threats in Synagogue

Rostov, Russia - A man who menaced worshipers inside a Rostov synagogue with a broken bottle and death threats has been set free by the Rostov regional court.

Vadim Domnitsky was charged with "hooliganism" rather than a hate crime, despite the fact that he shouted anti-Semitic threats and was inspired by a neo-Nazi's January 2006 stabbing rampage inside a Moscow synagogue.

Found "not competent" to stand trial, he was committed to a psychiatric facility. His lawyer was quoted as saying that he was set free because the court found his crime "insignificant."

Montgomery, AL - Darby Not Welcome In Democratic Party

Montgomery, AL - Democratic Party leaders want a former candidate for attorney general who denies the Holocaust occurred to stay out of their future primaries.
The party's executive committee passed a resolution informing Larry Darby that "he is not welcome in the Alabama Democratic Party."

Darby, the founder of the Atheist Law Center, responded by saying the vote shows that the state party's leadership is "intellectually and morally bankrupt." "This is the typical heavy-handed behavior of the Alabama Democratic Party for the last 30 years," Darby said. "They're censoring me for having the wrong views."

Darby lost to Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson Jr. in the June 6 primary race. He received 43 percent of the vote.
During his campaign, he denied that millions of Jews died in the Holocaust during World War II. He also called for martial law and the posting of troops on interstates entering Alabama to check for illegal immigrants.
State Rep. Alvin Holmes introduced the resolution, saying he doesn't believe Darby's views belong in the Democratic Party.

Gaza City, Gaza - Israeli Airstrike Hits Reuters Vehicle

Gaza City, Gaza - Israeli aircraft fired two missiles at an armored car belonging to the Reuters news agency, wounding five people, including two cameramen.

The Israeli army said it did not realize the car's passengers were journalists and only attacked because the vehicle was driving in a suspicious manner near Israeli troops in the middle of a combat zone.
Two Hamas militants were killed in separate airstrikes, officials said.

The airstrike on the journalists' car came as Israeli soldiers backed by two dozen tanks, two bulldozers, helicopters and drone planes moved into an area just inside the Gaza Strip near the Karni crossing.
They were searching for explosives planted by Palestinian militants alongside the border fence and for tunnels under the border.
After the operation began, groups of militants repeatedly gathered to try to attack the soldiers.

The Reuters cameraman, Fadel Shama'a, 23, and Sabah Hamida, 25, who worked for a local television company, had the doors open and were about to get out of the armored vehicle in the nearby Shajaiyeh neighborhood to film the raid when it was struck by the missiles.
The cameramen, along with three bystanders, were injured with shrapnel wounds and all five were to undergo surgery.

The white sport utility vehicle was emblazoned with the Reuters logo and had "TV" and "Press" written on it in English, Arabic and Hebrew.
"This is a cold-blooded crime," said Mohammed Dawdi, head of the local journalists union.
But Capt. Noa Meir, an army spokeswoman, said the vehicle was the only one in the combat area, was driving suspiciously and came near Israeli forces during the night raid. "That's why it was targeted. It was seen as a threat," she said. "There were no clear TV marks (on the car). At least we didn't see one. It's unfortunate when journalists get hurt, but that is not the intention," Meir added.
However, the area was an active battlefield and the reporters should not have been there, she said, adding that three Hamas militants attacked soldiers from the same spot 10 minutes after the airstrike.

New York - Thruway Authority Issues Volume Alert

New York - The Thruway Authority has issued a volume alert, saying multiple sections of the Thruway system are experiencing heavy traffic delays.

The alert, advises motorists to expect possible heavy delays today.

U/D: 18:58
Hillburn, NY A serious accident now on the southbound of the New York State Throuway at M/M 32 with entrapment, Fire Department going with the jaws.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Suspicious Package+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Suspicious Package+ NYPD are on the scene near 681 Myrtle Avenue and Bedford Avenue with two suspicious suitcases, ESU and Bomb Squad are also on the scene, units are evacuating surrounding buildings.

Fire Department and EMS to stage near the scene

Lakewood, NJ - Assault Case Postponed

Lakewood, NJ - The case involving a private school teacher charged with simple assault on a black teenager — an incident that sparked allegations of racial bias — was postponed in Municipal Court.

During a pretrial conference, Judge Scott J. Basen determined that questions about a conflict of interest need to be examined before the court can proceed in the case against Elchonon Zimmerman.
The question of a conflict centers on a tort-claim notice filed by Zimmerman, which is required before an individual sues a public entity.

Zimmerman, 43, alleges he was discriminated against by police because of his religious beliefs. Zimmerman is an Orthodox Jew.
Local NAACP leaders, however, say 15-year-old Jamarr Dickerson was the victim of racial bias.
Dickerson, who attended the court hearing, said that after he was assaulted May 17, a group of Orthodox men surrounded him and uttered racial slurs. "They said, "This is our side of town,' " Dickerson recounted.

While the Zimmerman matter was delayed, another twist has been injected into the controversial case.
Dickerson's mother said she received a notice in the mail stating that Zimmerman had filed a complaint of simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief against Dickerson, a Lakewood High School sophomore.
"I didn't do anything wrong. He's trying to come up with something to turn things around on me," Dickerson said. "I want the guy that attacked me to get what he deserves."

Dickerson walked out of juvenile court Thursday evening accompanied by family members and two community leaders including James Waters, past president of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
"They dismissed it. They believed his testimony," said Waters, who attended the court proceedings.

During the afternoon hearing, Judge Basen said the pending juvenile matter was a second conflict that prevented the Zimmerman case from advancing. If called to testify in the Zimmerman case, Dickerson's constitutional right to not incriminate himself could come into play, the judge said.

Queens, NY - Feds Can't Find Nation to Take Ex-Nazi

Queens, NY - Three years after he was stripped of his U.S. citizenship, a former Nazi camp guard still lives in Queens because no country will take him.
"Listen, I'm 84 years old; I'm not going anywhere," Jakiw Palij said outside his home in Jackson Heights. "Except a funeral home."
Palij - who is actually 83, according to court records - shambled out of his brick detached home wearing a bathrobe and appeared unsteady on his feet.
He said he has a date this week with Homeland Security officials who have been trying to boot him. "I have no country that will accept me," he said.

There have been negotiations with Ukraine, Poland and Germany, but those countries have balked at taking the retired draftsman.

The feds brought a deportation case against Palij in 2002, charging that he was a guard at the notorious Trawniki slave labor camp in Nazi-occupied Poland and was also a member of several units that committed atrocities against civilians.
Palij has claimed he was forced into the service at age 18 and would have been killed if he refused. "I was nowhere near to any camp, I didn't hurt any Jews, anybody from Ukraine, Poland. Anybody."
A federal judge revoked his citizenship in August 2003, ruling that Palij had illegally obtained an immigrant visa in 1949 by falsely claiming he had worked on his father's farm during the time he was a Nazi guard.
Palij, who has exhausted all appeals, cannot simply be placed on a plane and dumped elsewhere.

If Palij is deported, he said his wife, Maria, likely will stay here because she suffers from Alzheimer's disease and is cared for by a home attendant.

Israel - Writer Accused of Racism, Slander

Israel - Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, has approached Attorney General Menachem Mazuz Saturday evening and demanded that he launch an investigation against the haredi author of an article that refers to Arabs as "a cult of murderers, savages, and a loathsome nation whose prophet is a false prophet."

In the article, published in the ultra-Orthodox newspaper "Hassidic World", author Yitzhak Ben-Zvi writes that "the Arabs are a people similar to donkeys… they are a vile nation of savages… they have a great desire to murder and are even worse than the Nazi enemy."
 
Throughout the article, the writer refers to the Arabs as stupid, hypocrite, and uncivilized. in a separate clause, Ben-Zvi refers to Muhammad as a false prophet.
 
Attorney Abeer Baker, who represents the organization, stated that "the article's messages are basically of a racist nature, and their sheer purpose is the humiliation and mockery of Arabs, especially Muslims, merely because of their national and religious affiliation."

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY - Kiddush Cup Back Where it Belongs

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY - Holocaust survivor Elisabeth Bleier has one precious family heirloom to pass on to her children and grandchildren - a sparkling silver Kiddush cup that belonged to her father.

Along with jewelry Bleier wore at her wedding and hundreds of expensive household items, the cup was taken by Hungary's police as they systematically confiscated Jewish valuables in 1944 and hoisted them on the notorious Hungarian Gold Train.

By a twist of good fortune, the cup was returned to Bleier's father several years later in New York. The family had fled to Brooklyn after World War II.
"It's very important; it's very sentimental," Bleier, now 87, said of the elegant religious cup. "It brings back all my childhood, how I grew up."

The cup was returned when a Manhattan gallery recognized the name of Rabbi Jonathan Steif inscribed on the base. Steif, Bleier's father, had been Budapest's chief Orthodox rabbi.
A gift to the rabbi from his congregation in Budapest in 1934, the wine cup is believed to have come to America after U.S. forces took custody of the Gold Train in 1945.
Except for Steif's cup, all the goods believed to have been on the train were lost. Many were stolen by American soldiers, and the U.S. never attempted to return the belongings to Hungarian Jews, American officials have conceded.

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - As This Hasidic Village Expands to Accommodate a Baby Boom, Nearby Villages Fortify Their Borders

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - As the administrator of this village in southern Orange County, Gedalye Szegedin knows that much of his job revolves around a simple equation: the number of girls who get married is roughly equal to the number of new homes this community will need to accommodate its rapid growth.

Last year, Mr. Szegedin oversaw the construction of 200 houses and apartments, mostly on the outer-lying lots along the eastern edge of this 1.1-square-mile community. By the end of this year, he said, the village will most likely have 300 new homes.
“There are three religious tenets that drive our growth: our women don’t use birth control, they get married young and after they get married, they stay in Kiryas Joel and start a family,” Mr. Szegedin said.
“Our growth comes simply from the fact that our families have a lot of babies,” he added, “and we need to build homes to respond to the needs of our community.”

But developable land is a finite resource here, and not much of it is left. And as Kiryas Joel pushes up against its borders, nearby neighbors in the towns of Blooming Grove and Woodbury are moving aggressively to prevent the community from expanding by incorporating into villages of their own.

Worried residents in Blooming Grove, which lies northwest, and Woodbury, which lies east, have voted overwhelmingly in the past two months to approve the creation of two new villages. State law allows villages to be established within towns and to set their own zoning regulations, and area officials say the new villages would be able to restrict the multifamily, high-density building that predominates in Kiryas Joel.

Kiryas Joel’s population leaped to 18,300 last year from 13,100 in 2000 and 7,400 in 1990, making it one of the fastest growing places in the state, according to the most recent estimates by the Census Bureau.
About 3,000 families who live in the village, many of them in boxy wood-frame homes built close to one another, with up to a dozen apartments stacked in four floors.
The village has no parks or public playgrounds, so children play with their colorful plastic toys on small front yards.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY - Lawsuit Dropped by Mother of Gidone Busch Against NYC Police Shooting

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY -The mother of the hammer-wielding Gidone Busc who was fatally shot by police in 1999 has dropped a lawsuit that claimed the officers overreacted and used excessive force.

Gidone Busch's family sought unspecified damages in the lawsuit, which was filed in August 2000 against the city and the five officers involved in the shooting.
The officers were cleared in a civil trial in 2003, but the following year a judge overturned the jury's verdict, saying the officers "gave exaggerated or overstated versions of the events, especially regarding key details about the shooting."

In a letter to District Judge John Gleeson, Busch's mother, Doris Boskey, wrote that it "would take a lot to go through another civil trial."
"It would be about putting a monetary value on a life that was precious, not about real justice or accountability," she wrote.

The officers had testified in the civil trial that after confronting Busch on a Brooklyn street, he attacked a sergeant with a hammer. When Busch, a 31-year-old Hasidic Jew, refused to drop the hammer, the officers said, they responded with a barrage of bullets. He was hit 12 times.

Highland Park, NJ - Heroes Rescue Torahs From Synagogue Fire

Highland Park, NJ - A police officer and a first aid squad member repeatedly dashed into the burning synagogue last Thursday on South Third Avenue, and rescued its eight Torahs before the building's floor collapsed.

Members of the 420-family synagogue were grateful to Sgt. Joseph Spezio and Andrew Brown, a member of the Highland Park First Aid Squad.
Brown said he and Spezio saw flames burning through the floor from the basement when they entered. It took several trips to remove six Torahs from the sanctuary and two that were in a small chapel. "I'm an observant Jew and I'm aware of the value and meaning of the Torahs," said Brown, who belongs to a different synagogue. "You just go in. You do it without thinking." He said the heat was not severe, but that the smoke made his eyes tear.
They also rescued remnants of a Torah desecrated by Nazis that was found in Krakow, Poland.

-------
Meanwhile" a faulty electrical wire sparked the blaze, acting borough Police Chief Frank Atherton Jr. told the congregation Friday night.
There was "absolutely no indication of criminal activity," Atherton told about 35 people who attended Friday evening services at the YH-YMCA on South Adelaide Avenue. A multiagency investigation concluded about 6 p.m. Friday, he said.
The investigation's result came as a relief, Rabbi Eliot Malomet said. "Everyone was hoping this would be the finding. This event would have taken on a different tone" otherwise, Malomet told the congregants.

State, Middlesex County and Highland Park agencies including the county prosecutor's arson unit and the state police's Arson and Bomb Squad investigated the fire's aftermath.