Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +Burn Victim+

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +Burn Victim+ Hatzolah responding to 770 Eastern Parkway in the basment of the synagogue with an aided that was electrocuted and has serious and sever burns.

Victin is enroute to Cornell Medical Center Hospital.

Bottles of Infant Formula Recalled

Hundreds of thousands of bottles of infant formula distributed nationwide might not have enough vitamin C so a recall has been issued, the Abbott healthcare company said.

The recall is for approximately 100,000, 32-ounce plastic bottles of Similac Alimentum Advance liquid formula and approximately 200,000 bottles of Similac Advance with Iron.
Abbott spokeswoman Tracey Noe said the bottles are missing a special layer that keeps air out. When the oxygen enters the bottle, it causes the level of vitamin C to decrease over time. If infants drink formula without enough vitamin C for two to four weeks, they could start exhibiting symptoms of vitamin C deficiency. Those include irritability with pain. Abbott said, so far, it hasn't had any medical complaints.

The Alimentum Advance is marked with batch number 401895V, and the Similac Advance with Iron, is marked with 40177RH or 40172RH.

San'a, Yemen +Arrest of Al-Qaida Members Planning Attacks+

San'a, Yemen - Yemen's interior minister says authorities have arrested four al-Qaida members who were planning to carry out attacks in San'a.

Lakewood, NJ - Woman Dies After Head-On MVA

Lakewood, NJ - Beverly Pearlman, a 75-year-old woman who was riding in a car that was struck head-on Wednesday afternoon, has died of her injuries late Friday.

She was struck by a car driven by Alyssa Pederson, 17, of Lacey. It appears Pederson was driving north on New Hampshire Avenue when she crossed into the oncoming lane.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not said if any charges will be filed. The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office is assisting in the investigation.

Pearlman is the 45th person to die as a result of a motor vehicle crash in Ocean County this year.

Israel +Kidnap Alert in Judea and Samaria+

Israel - The General Security Service issued a kidnap alert after receiving warnings that Palestinian Authority Arabs are planning to abduct Israeli civilians and soldiers in Judea and Samaria.
IDF soldiers have received instructions regarding the alert.

Manhattan, NY +Commercial Fire+

Manhattan, NY +Commercial Fire+ A fire in a jewelry store in the diamond district in Manhattan at West 47th Street and 5th Avenue, PD on the scene reporting that fire has been showing out the windows, Fire Department with 4E's, 2T's, Rescue-1 and Squad-18 are all assigned due to numerous calls received.

U/D:
Fire has been knocked down by the sprinkler system.

Marblehead, MA - Great Shofar Blowout, Everyone Gets to Toot Their Own Horns

Marblehead, MA - A gathering at the Marblehead Jewish Community Center will try to blow the ram's horn known as a shofar in just the right way. They are on a mission to reclaim a Guinness World Record that was topped last year.

Traditionally, the instrument has been entrusted to selected hands, blown by clergy or specific members of congregations on Rosh Hashana. But not so north of Boston, where more than 400 Jews from the area, including these 100 trainees, will attempt to form the largest gathering of shofar blowers at 3 p.m. Sunday at Phillips Beach in Swampscott.

The idea of bringing hundreds of people together to set a record for shofar blowing came from Robert Lappin, a Salem-based philanthropist and real estate developer who says, "There is some magic to it that reaches very deeply into the Jewish psyche."

Kiryas, Joel, Monroe, NY +Flood Advisory+

Kiryas, Joel, Monroe, NY +Flood Advisory+ The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for the Village of Kiryas Joel in Orange County, NY.

The region has already seen between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain in the past 24 hours, and up to an additional inch of rain is possible now, with ponding of water reported on some roadways. The weather service warns that streams and small creeks will flood quickly.
Among other locations in the advisory area are: Cornwall-on-Hudson, Middletown, Newburgh, Goshen, Pine Bush, Walden, Warwick and Washingtonville.

It Pays To Drink

Researchers are out with a new study, that people who drink alcohol earn 10 to 14 percent more at their job than nondrinkers.

"Social drinkers are out networking, building relationships and adding contacts," said the study co-author.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Construction Accident+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Construction Accident+ At a construction site of a synagogue on the corner of Kent Avenue and Hooper Street a construction accident with one worker aided that fell two flights and is unresponsive, Hatzolah BLS and ALS requested Code-1.

U/D: 11:54
Aided is conscious and being removed to Bellevue Hospital ALS on board.

Jerusalem, Israel +MVA with Entrapment+

Jerusalem, Israel +MVA with Entrapment+ A serious three car motor vehicle accident early Friday morning at the intersection of Shmuel Hanavi and Yecheskel, two vehicle overturned, PD and Hatzolah from Ramat Eshkol and Hatzolah from Queens were on the scene with three aided, none with life threatening injuries.

Spring Valley, NY - NAACP Sues Clinic

Spring Valley, NY - The village chapter of the NAACP has filed a complaint accusing the Ben Gilman Medical and Dental Clinic of religious discrimination for closing on Saturdays.

The complaint, filed with the state's Division of Human Rights, alleges that the clinic's practice of remaining closed Saturdays in observance of operators' Jewish Shabbas, unlawfully imposes their religious beliefs on others.
Complainants say the practice is an unlawful violation of people's civil rights, particularly since the clinic's operator, Monsey-based Community Medical and Dental Care Inc., has received millions of dollars in federal funding.
In addition to the Gilman clinic, Community Medical and Dental Care operates Monsey Medical and Dental Center.

Willie Trotman, president of the Spring Valley branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the purpose of the complaint was to have the clinic open on Saturdays.
Those who work - more than 80 percent of the clinic's clientele are Hispanic or black, according to a letter the clinic sent to the Human Rights Commission - would find it convenient to visit their doctors on a Saturday when they had the day off, Trotman said.

Birdsboro, PA - Marijuana Bust At Kosher Slaughterhouse

Birdsboro, PA - Federal agents raided a kosher slaughterhouse in Birdsboro, Pa. on a marijuana bust, they arrested four men in the raid, including three employees; none were Jewish.

The agents had tracked 726 pounds of marijuana from a ship in Baltimore to the G & G Poultry slaughterhouse, which is run under the strictest kosher supervision near Reading, Pa.
G & G management defended their staffers, saying they unwittingly unloaded the cargo delivered during the night. The affidavit authorizing the raid suggested that outsiders used the facility as a drop during its closing hours, at night and over Shabbas.

Brooklyn, NY - Fire Crime Charges First Of A Kind

Brooklyn, NY - The landlord whose Greenpoint property went up in a massive fire last May is in a class by himself - or nearly so, when it comes to the charges he's facing.

Joshua Guttman, 58, faces 434 counts of failure to maintain waterfront property - a misdemeanor only brought once before in history, said lawyer Robert Hill Schwartz. "Our research discloses only one reported case in which this statute was enforced," Schwartz said in Brooklyn Criminal Court. "So there's a question as to this statute and whether it's applicable."
A spokesman for the Brooklyn DA countered that although their office could only document one such case that they prosecuted, other agencies and jurisdictions in the city had applied it "dozens of times."

Brooklyn prosecutors hit Guttman and his son, Jack, 26, with the charges following the suspicious fire at the Greenpoint Terminal Market last May 2.

New York, NY - Mayor Strongest Candidate for 08 President Elections

New York, NY - Voters across the nation are prepared to embrace an independent presidential candidate in 2008 - and Mayor Bloomberg is perfectly positioned for a White House run, according to a new poll.

The survey of 800 registered voters conducted by Strategic Research of Alexandria, Va., found that 81 percent of Americans would consider voting for a qualified White House contender who isn't a Republican or Democrat. And the more voters know about Bloomberg, the more they like him, the poll found.
Forty-one percent of those questioned said they'd consider supporting a White House bid by the mayor.

Spring Valley, NY - Police Probe Links in Robbery Attempts

Spring Valley, NY - Ramapo and Spring Valley police were investigating possible links between two incidents in which a pair of teenge boys on bicycles tried to rob pedestrians.

In Spring Valley police said that two teens peddled up to a man on Twin Avenue, asked him for the time and then tried to rob him. One showed the victim what appeared to be a pistol wrapped in a shirt. One of the suspects said, "If you don't give us the money, we'll kill you," Spring Valley police Sgt. Peter Russell said.
The victim pulled out a cell phone and said he was calling police and the suspects rode away. Russell said officers with the help of K-9 units spotted them arrested them a short time later.
The boys, both 17, and whose names were withheld by police because of their ages, were charged with two counts of second-degree robbery, a felony. One was also charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor.

Police were also checking for a possible connections to a similar attempted robbery that occurred at Suzan Place and Elaine Place in Monsey.
In that incident, the victim told police that he was approached by two males riding bicycles at 11 p.m. as he walked down the street. One told him to "turn over his money or he would be shot," Ramapo police Sgt. Mark Briggs said. The victim told the robbers that he had no money. They took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the man, then fled east on Elaine Place.
Spring Valley's Russell said other such incidents may have occurred in the area. Anyone with information can call Spring Valley police.

Moscow - Synagogue Attacker Gets 16 Years

Moscow - The Moscow City Court sentenced Alexander Koptsev who injured nine people in a knife attack at a Moscow synagogue to 16 years in prison, he was convicted of attempted murder driven by racist motives and of inciting ethnic hatred, at this second trial.

The court also ordered Koptsev, who was 20 when he rampaged through a synagogue last January, stabbing worshippers with a hunting knife before he was wrestled to the ground, to undergo psychiatric treatment at the facility where he will be imprisoned.

Koptsev had been convicted of attempted murder driven by racist motives in March and sentenced to 13 years in prison, but the Supreme Court overturned the conviction in June amid appeals by both prosecutors, who wanted a longer sentence, and defense lawyers who claimed he was mentally unstable.

Monsey, NY +Butcher Sells Treifa Chicken as Kosher+

Monsey, NY - Shevach Meats who rented some space inside Hatzlacha grocery store in Monsey, NY was caught selling nonkosher (treifa) chicken as Kosher from Kiryas Yoel.

His, and the hashgacha's house of cards came falling down in the middle of last week, when one of the owners of the grocery was told by one worker of Kiryat Joel meat slaughterhouse offhand, that the butcher had not recieved a shipment of chicken from them in 3 weeks. But the owners realized that they had been selling Kiryas Joel chicken the entire time, so they got scared and called their hashgacha.

The Mashgichim broke into the butcher's cooler at night and found 19 cases of unmarked chicken, they tasted the skin and it did not taste salty at all. Also did they found that the kidneys were still intact, which on kosher chicken shouldn't be, since it's removed before salting.
At that time they called in the butcher who insisted it was Empire chicken. They checked with an Empire Mashgiach who lives in Monsey who told them that it isn't their kosher chicken.

He was immediately ejected from Hatzlacha, as the investigation continued, more came out and it was discovered that for at least 6 months he had been selling twice as much meat retail as he had bought from known Shechita houses, not even counting what he had sold wholesale to halls, yeshivas etc.
Furthermore, some people had noticed for months that the chicken was less salty than usual, when they asked the butcher about it, he told them that they are using a new low sodium salt in the kashering process, which was false, and that may also extend to meat too.

H'Rav Weissmandel put out a letter advising everyone to kasher all their keilim.

Unite States +E. Coli Outbreak+

Unite States +E. Coli Outbreak+ The F.D.A. Has announced an outbreak of E. Coli, traced to spinach.
Eight States in the United States are affected:
Conn, Idaho, Ind, Mich, N.M, Ore, Utah, Wis.

U/D: 09/15/06
The deadly E. Coli outbreak linked to bagged spinach has spread to 20 states and sickened more than 90 people, federal health officials say.

Washington, DC - Man Fires Flare Gun In Front of Supreme Court

Washington, DC - A man fired a flare gun into the air in front of the Supreme Court. Also did authorities examine a suspicious package he left behind, but later deemed it safe.

The street and the plaza in front of the Supreme Court were closed off by authorities after the man was taken into custody. No one was injured in the incident.

Israel - Only 44 Percent of Charedim Men in Work Force

Israel - New statistics by Israel Central Bureau of Statistics showes that the work force in Israel consists of 62.6 percent of the population of 20 years old and over.
In the Jewish population, 95 percent of the secular men are in the work force and 8.5 percent are unemployed, and only 44 percent from ultra-Orthodox backgrounds are in the work force.
 
Thirty-six percent of those who are not in the job market look after children or housekeeping; 25 percent suffer from a certain handicap or an ongoing condition; 19 percent pursue academic studies, 59 percent of which are men who are haredim and attend a yeshiva.

Freehold, NJ - Courts To Sell Dwek's Properties, But Slow Sale Pace Deters Buyers

Freehold, NJ - A key real estate broker for Solomon Dwek is concerned that the "slow" pace of sales will deter buyers. It's not like selling jewelry on eBay; the New Jersey court system just isn't built for speed. "It's getting to the point to where a lot of people are afraid now, because of the way it's being handled," said Michael R. Gilman, owner of Gilman Commercial Realty LLC, which says it is the exclusive broker for 64 of Dwek's properties. But many sales are being held up by the court sales process. "They're not closing the deals."

Superior Court Judge Alexander D. Lehrer, sitting in Freehold, took control of Dwek's assets in May after PNC Bank accused Dwek, 33, of Ocean Township, of bouncing a $25.2 million check. Lehrer has taken major steps to accelerate the sell-off, while holding off bank foreclosures and bankruptcy.
The mission is that the New Jersey courts should sell more than 350 of Solomon Dwek's properties to pay the creditors $338 million.
Lehrer has also stopped Dwek from draining his assets or selling the properties below market value.

The judge has ordered 19 properties auctioned or sold for $49.7 million, but only four of the transactions have actually been completed, for $13.3 million. Two buyers appear to have backed out of their winning bids to buy $5.5 million in properties sold at the most recent auction Aug. 8.
Other pending offers on Dwek properties: 79 totaling more than $142 million.

Oberkail, Germany +American F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes+

Oberkail, Germany +American F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes+ An American F-16 fighter jet on crashed near the southwest German town of Oberkail.
It was not immediately known whether any one was hurt on the ground or if the pilot survived the crash, it was also unclear to which US Air Base the aircaft was assigned.

Rescue teams are at the accident site.

Bagnolet, Paris +Jewish Boy Beaten+

Bagnolet, Paris +Jewish Boy Beaten+ A 13-year-old Jewish boy was attacked at his middle school in a Parisian suburb.

The boy was beaten up by four fellow students at the Langevin Middle School. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he is being kept under medical surveillance.

Sammy Ghozlan, president of the National Office of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism, called for local authorities to “impose the strictest penalties on these four young racists, regardless of their age."

Nucla, Colorado - Body of Hunter From Washington State Has Been Found

Nucla, Colorado - Authorities in Colorado have found the body of a hunter from Stanwood, Washington, who had been missing.

Montrose County Undersheriff Dick Deines says the body of Robert Heichel was found today near a tree, about one mile from his campsite near Nucla, Colorado. And it appeared the 40-year-old may have been struck by lightning.

Authorities began looking for Heichel on Sunday and later found out he hadn't been seen since Thursday, when he left his camp to buy supplies.
Heichel had been camping on some private property. On Sunday, the property owner realized Heichel was gone when she tried to deliver a message from his wife.

Washington, DC - Gas Prices To Drop Significantly

Washington, DC - A BP company executive has told a Senate hearing that BP will ask for federal authorization to reopen a pipeline segment that was so corroded.
This comes as good news on top of what  many analysts have predicted that by year end, that gas could fall as low as $2 a gallon,
One state in the US Iowa has the lowest price per gallon as of today selling at $2.05 per gallon.

Lebanon - Hezbollah Committed War Crimes

Lebanon - Amnesty International said Hezbollah's rocket attacks on Israel were war crimes.

The London-based human rights group on issued report detailing the damage caused by some 4,000 rockets fired into Israel by the Lebanese militia during the recent war.
"The scale of Hezbollah's attacks on Israeli cities, towns and villages, the indiscriminate nature of the weapons use and statements from the leadership confirming their intent to target civilians make it all too clear that Hezbollah violated the laws of war," wrote Amnesty's secretary-general, Irene Khan.

The group noted that rocket salvoes during the 34-day war killed dozens of Israelis and caused as many as a million residents of northern Israel to flee their homes. Infrastructure damage from the rockets as been valued at $1.8 billion.

Misleading and Shameful Headline in Times Herald Record

We at VOS IZ NEIAS are outraged on a misleading and Shameful headline article in today's Times Herald Record by Chris McKenna, on the story of the Treifa non-kosher butcher scandal that hit Monsey, NY. the headline reads "Did Kiryas Joel butcher sell fake kosher meat?

The headlines paints it as if KJ Meat Market was directly involved! But nothing in the article supports that, and as we all know, no butcher of Kiyras Joel had any suspicion of selling non kosher chicken or supplying anyone else with treifa meat.

We ask our readers to contact the reporter who did this news story, to clarify his mistake.

Chris McKenna

U/D
The heading to the article online has been corrected, however the print edition that has the same misleading headline, should be clarified or corrected in tomorrows print addition.

We where made aware that the misleading headline was done by a copy editor at the record without any knowledge of it to the reporter on this article Chris McKenna.
 
Chris Mckanea is known to the community, and has been a long time reporter for the Times Herald Record on issues about KJ, he has been fair and balanced through all the years of reporting, and has absolutely no negativity bias against KJ.
 
The real question remains was this a pure blunt mistake by a copy editor, or is someone at Times Herald Record trying to use negative and deceptive headlines when it deals with KJ.

Brooklyn, NY +Williamsburg Bridge Traffic Alert+

Brooklyn, NY +Williamsburg Bridge Traffic Alert+ Due to a motor vehicle accident on the westbound of the Williamsburg Bridg, traffic on the bridge westbound is stopped.

Boro Park, Brooklyn, NY +Towing Requested for FDNY+

Boro Park, Brooklyn, NY +Towing Requested for FDNY+ The NYC Fire Department has requested tow and NYPD to respond to tow away a vehicle that's blocking them in front of 1025 46th Street and 11th Avenue, in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, NY.

Albany, NY - Rabbi and Spouse Indicted in Theft Scam

Albany, NY - A Capital Region rabbi and his wife were indicted on charges they bilked more than $128,000 from his late father's estate after hiding the money's existence from other family members.

Moshe Berger, and Debra Berger, both 50, are accused of spending the money on trips to California, Florida and Israel, and on clothing, dinners out and jewelry. The couple had power-of-attorney authority for Irving Berger, who lived with them before he died.
The alleged scam was discovered when an interest statement from the couple's bank account was mailed in error to one of Moshe Berger's siblings, according to Albany County Assistant District Attorney David Ehrlich, who is prosecuting the case. "Irving Berger placed his trust in them, and they abused it," Ehrlich said. "They dishonored his memory by using his trust to steal."

The Bergers, of 171 Hollywood Ave. in Albany, were in court as the sealed indictment was opened and read by Albany County Judge Stephen W. Herrick.
Defense attorney Eugene Grenz offered not-guilty pleas on the couple's behalf and turned over their passports to the court. The Bergers were released without bail under the supervision of the Albany County Probation Department.

Debra Berger, who was charged with second-degree grand larceny, faces 5 to 15 years in state prison if convicted. She works for the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District, which serves grades pre-K through 12.
Moshe Berger, a rabbi without a congregation, could be sentenced to 1 to 4 years behind bars if found guilty of first-degree falsifying a business record, a felony, and petit larceny, a misdemeanor.

He is employed as a kosher food inspector for Vaad HaKashruth of the Capital Region. The nonprofit council monitors any store, restaurant, factory or other institution that prepares food purported to be kosher.

Monticello, NY - Bears Roaming Freely

Monticello, NY - A 425-pound male bear was caught in a culvert trap by the DEC at Moonlight Bungalow Colony on Rubin Road near Monticello. This is the same colony where a 205-pound female bear and two 8-month-old cubs were chased away from the trash bins last week. The DEC says the mother bear had returned, and she was also caught in the culvert trap.

Not far from there, a marauding bear killed and started to eat a 350-pound bull calf early yesterday near Callicoon, the calf had been tied to a tree at the farm of Jeff Kays on Gable Road.
Wildlife technician Carl Lindsley went to the farm and found the bear's tracks and the calf partially eaten, the bear had tried to drag the carcass into a field but couldn't because of the rope.
Lindsley said that because the bear has attacked livestock, Kays or an employee can legally shoot the bear without a permit if it returns.

The other bears that got trapped, got the same treatment from the DEC: They were tagged, pepper-sprayed to dissuade them from returning, and released.

New York, NY - Airports Getting Makeover

New York, NY - Projects to ease traffic and spruce up the scenery around New York City's airports are taking off.

John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports served more than 33 million passengers in the first half of 2006, and they are on track to see a record of more than 100 million travelers this year when combined with the metro area's other airport, Newark Liberty International Airport in nearby New Jersey.
The trio of airports handle more passengers than any other airport system in North America, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages the facilities.

But all that activity means increasingly snarled traffic. The city is spending $25 million to improve access to both Kennedy Airport and the nearby hub for its new AirTrain. The rail link connects to the subway system and commuter trains, enabling riders to travel from the terminal to Manhattan in less than an hour. Other projects include streetscape improvements, like adding more trees and foliage along nearby roads, as well as additional traffic studies around LaGuardia Airport.
The makeover projects account for about $40 million of about $100 million in upgrade money.

Monsey, NY +Armed Robbery+

Monsey, NY +Armed Robbery+ Police and Chavierim are on the scene for an armed robbery by two spanish men with masks that held up a female at gun point at Jeffery Place and Howard Drive. The two males fled the scene, PD and Chavierim are searching the area.

Montreal, Canada - No Progress in Search for Jewish School Firebomber

Montreal, Canada - The perpetrator of a Molotov-cocktail attack on the chassidic boys’ school in Montreal, remains at large despite the act having been videotaped by the school’s surveillance camera and despite a $5,000 reward offered by an anonymous donor for information leading to his arrest.

The images released by police show, from an angle, a masked black-haired man, seemingly in his 20s and apparently alone, wearing a beige top and beige pants reaching to below the knees. He is seen lighting an accelerant and throwing it through a glass panel of the main entrance of the Skver community’s Toldos Yakov Yosef school in the city’s Outremont neighbourhood shortly after midnight on Saturday, Sept. 2. In the last frame, he removes his hood-like mask as he flees.

School and Jewish community officials said last week that they’re confident and grateful police are putting the necessary resources into their investigation.
But the community and police, differ on the motivation for the crime. Police have so far not labelled the incident a hate crime, because of the absence of evidence such as graffiti or phone calls, and are treating it as arson. But Canadian Jewish leaders are convinced the perpetrator deliberately targeted a Jewish institution. No one was in the school at the time. About a dozen teenaged students had left the building only about 20 minutes beforehand.

Montrael, Canada +Man Open Fire at College+

Montrael, Canada - A suspect has shot himself after opening fire at a Montreal college.
At least one person was reported killed after a gunman entered Dawson College in Montreal and began shooting, and at least 19 people were injured.

Jerusalem, Israel - Indictments Coming in Baby Food Scandal

Jerusalem, Israel - Israeli officials have announced plans to indict the former owner and the former chief executive officer of the Remedia baby food company.

The announcement comes three years after three infants died and dozens were injured after eating defective non-dairy, soy-based formula.  Two other senior Remidea employees will also be indicted, along with a Health Ministry official and four ministry inspectors at the ports of Haifa and Ashdod, who were supposed to have tested the food.
Former Remedia owner Moshe Miller, former company chief Gideon Landsberg and the company's food technologist, Fredrick Bleck, will be accused of manslaughter by negligence. The rest will be charged with negligence, among other charges.

The indictment alleges that Remedia employees were aware that baby formula did not contain the essential B1 vitamin, changed ingredient information on the packages, and tried to interfere with the police investigation by offering Remedia employees money for giving untrue testimony. 

The scandal erupted in November 2003, when it was revealed that 10 infants had been hospitalized with encephalopathy. All the infants had been fed on the Remedia baby formula.

Lakewood, NJ +MVA with Entrapment+

Lakewood, NJ +MVA with Entrapment+ Lakewood EMS on the scene at New Hampshire and Church Road for a motor vehicle accident with three aided two are trapped and being extricated by Lakewood EMS BLS and ALS units command also on the scene.

Baltimore, MD - Government Announces Grant to Improve Security

Baltimore, MD - The Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention has given the Northwest Citizens Patrol (NWCP) a grant which will allow them to hire off-duty police officers to patrol the community on Friday nights and on Yom Tov nights, in addition to the regular NWCP patrol, After the leadership alerted the government about an increase in break-ins, and a spate of personal attacks on Jewish residents, many happening during Shabbas, the government agreed to release funding for additional increase in security for this vulnerable times.
 
The grant provides enough funding to cover this initiative for the next few months. While the exact details are still being formulated, they expect the added patrol to start this coming Friday night.

Lakewood, NJ - Title I Funds Misuse Alleged

Lakewood, NJ - School officials have termed as "baseless" and "impossible" an allegation that some private schools in Lakewood, NJ are misusing the federal aid intended to provide supplemental educational programs for underprivileged students. 

"A serious allegation has been lodged . . . that nonpublic schools are somehow utilizing Title I funds not in accordance with federal and state guidelines," public schools Superintendent Edward Luick, wrote in a Sept. 11 letter to the leaders of Lakewood's nearly 50 private schools.
Luick's letter was prompted by a report that Rabbi Meir Hertz, dean of the Tashbar of Lakewood primary school, told the district's Title I service provider that some private schools were spending their aid vouchers on playground equipment. The private schools do not directly receive the funds, which are administered locally by the public schools' Board of Education.  In his letter, Luick wrote: "While the board attorney has assured both the board and myself that this allegation is baseless, I need to bring this to attention in order to protect the integrity of the Title I program."

The service provider, Catapult Learning, informed school officials that Hertz had recently called its office. "He stated that he wanted to "tip us off' that some schools were using their Title I funding to purchase playground equipment."

New York, NY +U.N. Secretary Syas Iraq Disaster+

New York, NY - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says that most Middle East leaders he spoke to believe the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was "a real disaster."

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - The Vote Raffle Electioneering

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - Community leaders have set up a set of endorsements, and voting instructions -- mostly in Yiddish -- with a stamp from the United Jewish Organization, confirming the bearer has voted.

The result is a kind of raffle ticket. They're collected by children, and taken to school to enter into a contest for cards featuring animals or ambulances, according to Rabbi David Niederman, the head of the UJO.  This stamps are often put on blank cards, to avoid the appearance that people are being rewarded for voting for a specific candidate he says. "Anyone who comes and says 'I voted,'" gets the stamp, Niderman said. "No matter with" who they're voting for.

But Isac Weinbergar says that he is not sure its legal, "they want that people should go out and vote. They tell the children when everybody comes out from the polling get a stamp on their card and the children bring back these cards then they go into a lottery. If a child has ten cards that means he has ten numbers."  "If it's legal - I'm not so sure that it's legal - because you are using parochial schools for politics."

New York State Primary Night Results

Governor- Democratic Primary
* Eliot Spitzer - Winner
* Thomas R. Suozzi

Attorney General- Democratic Primary
* Andrew M. Cuomo - Winner
* Mark Green
* Charles G. King
* Sean Patrick Maloney

United States Senate- Democratic and Republican Primaries
* K.T. McFarland(R)
* John Spencer(R) - Winner
* Hillary Rodham Clinton(D) - Winner
* Jonathan B. Tasini(D)

United States House Primaries
* Carl Andrews
* Yvette D. Clarke - Winner
* Chris Owens
* David S. Yassky

Senate Primaries
* Keven S. Parker - Winner
* Noach Dear

Chantilly, VA - Unruly Passenger on Cross-Country Flight Subdued by Travelers, Air marshals

Chantilly, VA - A passenger that tried to open the exit door of a jet during a cross-country flight on United Airlines Flight 890 from Los Angeles, was subdued.
The plane landed as scheduled at Washington Dulles International Airport, said a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman, and no one was injured.

The passenger became unruly about 3 1/2 hours into the flight from Los Angeles and was subdued by other passengers and federal air marshals, the spokeswoman said.
"After the passenger was restrained, the pilot decided to land at Dulles." "It wasn't an emergency landing."
Airport police and FBI agents met the flight and were interviewing the passenger, said a FBI spokeswoman.
There were 138 passengers and six crew members on board.

Brooklyn, NY +Gowanus Exp Shutdown+

Brooklyn, NY +Gowanus Exp Shutdown+ A motor vehicle accident with a truck that struck the center concrete support of a pedestrian overpass at 72nd Street, trucks fuel tank exploded and is is now on fire and a portion of the overpass is also on fire, Fire Department on the scene requesting EMS to respond in.

The Expressway has been completely shutdown in both directions, a large column of smoke is visible for miles, Additional FDNY units are having trouble getting to the scene due to very heavy traffic, fire is reported to be burning very hot and Fire department having water problems.

DOT has also been requested. NYPD are calling for a level one mobilization at 65th Street and the Gowanus Expressway

New York +NYS Thruway Construction/Repaving Traffic Alert+

New York - A new construction repaving project along the Rockland-Orange County border on the New York State Thruway, will start soon.
The project is between Exit 15 (I-287/Route 17) in Sloatsburg and about five miles south of Exit 16 (Harriman). And also Road work on two miles from Exit 11 to the Tappan Zee Bridge is expected to begin next week.

Work on the nine-mile section of the Thruway will first be done in the southbound lanes. Tilcon New York will close lanes beginning at 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and at 7 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. After 9 p.m., Tilcon can close two lanes.
The job will also involve repairing and repaving a 6.6-mile stretch from Exit 14 to Exit 15, and reconfiguring the Exit 14B interchange with Airmont Road. Those projects will be done next year.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - Synagogue Firefight Deemed Suspicious

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - Fire marshals are probing two suspicious early-morning blazes at the soon-to-be-completed synagogue that will serve as the new Williamsburg headquarters of the Satmar Hasidic sect.

The fires occurred yesterday on the first floor of the site at Ross Street and Bedford Avenue as was reported first on VOS IZ NEIAS.
The synagogue, scheduled for completion next month, is next door to the residence of Rabbi Zalmen Teitelbaum, who leads the Satmar Hasidic sect. The fires were quickly extinguished, but because of their location and the time they occurred, they were deemed suspicious.

The sect has been rocked by a bitter succession dispute. Supporters of Rabbi Zalmen say he is the handpicked successor to his father, Grand Rebbe Moses Teitelbaum, who died in April. But supporters of Zalmen's brother, Rabbi Aron, who heads the Orange County branch of the Satmar Hasidic sect, say he is the grand rebbe.

The Zalmen faction claimed victory in July after an appeals court declined to determine the validity of the competing claims. Backers of Aron said nothing had been decided.

New York, NY - Oil Executive Donates $100 million to Yeshiva University

New York, NY - The Yeshiva University got its largest gift in the school's 120-year history, $100 million from an oil executive to further undergraduate Jewish education, the university announced.

The donation of Ronald P. Stanton, chairman of petrochemical and fertilizer fuel company Transammonia Inc., will create a fund overseen by university president Richard M. Joel to recruit top faculty, renovate and acquire university facilities and support research and scholarship.
"We are extremely grateful to Ron for his historic beneficence, as well as his steadfast confidence in Yeshiva University's mission," Joel said.
The contribution will ensure the 7,200-student school remains a top-tier American research university, he said.

The university has three undergraduate schools, including a women's college and business school, and graduate programs including Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

New Jersey +London Police Conducting Raids+

New Jersey +London Police Conducting Raids+ Crackdown including raids targeting firearms between the U.S. and London are taking place in New Jersey by London police.

British police seized hundreds of firearms in a dawn raid involving gun-smuggling between New Jersey and London.

Queens, NY +MVA+

Queens, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident in Queens NY at 69th Avenue and 167th Street, Hatzolah on the scene requesting two ambulances.

U/D:
Hatzolah requesting Medics.

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +Robbery+

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY +Robbery+ NYPD and Crown Heights Shomrim Patrol are looking for two black males in regards to a robbery of a purse from a female at Empire Blvd and Albany Avenue.

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY - Where To Go To Win An Election

Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY - On Sunday, David Yassky paid a visit to the grave of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, accompanied by the current head of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, Moshe Rubashkin.

Not to be outdone, his predecessor and rival Chanina Sperlin escorted Yvette Clarke out there today.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +B.Q.E. Shutdown+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +B.Q.E. Shutdown+ A three car accident with injurieson the eastbound of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and Lee Avenue, has the fire Department shut down all lanes, EMS and NYPD Highway units are all responding.

Manhattan, NY +G.W. Bridge Shut Down+

Manhattan, NY +G.W. Bridge Shut Down+ All lanes of the NJ bound of the George Washington Bridge under the apartment buildings are shut down due to multi vehicle accidents, major delays on the Cross Bronx Expressway approch.

Sydney, Australia - Alleged Nazi War Criminal to Face Extradition Hearing

Sydney, Australia - An 84-year-old Nazi war criminal accused of killing a Jewish teenager in his native Hungary during World War II took a step closer to being the first Australian to be extradited to face war crimes. Charles Zentai lost a court challenge to extradition proceedings requested by Hungary.

He has been accused of killing an 18-year-old Jewish man in 1944 for failing to wear a Star of David as required in countries controlled by Nazi Germany. Zentai and two fellow soldiers are alleged to have tortured and killed the man before weighing his body down with stones and dumping him in the Danube River.
Zentai fled Budapest after the killing. His two alleged accomplices were jailed for the murder in the 1940s. He emigrated to Australia in 1950 after many years living in Germany, has denied the accusations.

He said in January he was ready to travel to Hungary to clear his name, but since then has been fighting against his extradition.

New York +Get Out Your Primary Vote, in Brooklyn the Choice is Black & White

New York - Today is Primary Day in the city and state, with candidates tickets to be selected for Governor, Attorney General, Senate, Congress, and more.

If you're registered to the Democratic or Republican party, get out and vote!

In the heavily Democratic Brooklyn, where winning the primary virtually guarantees a victory in the general election, the battle to succeed retiring Rep. Major Owens has drawn more notice than any other New York City race, with the prospect that a historically black district could elect a white newcomer.
Since the entry of City Councilman David Yassky, the contest has revolved around the possibility that the three black candidates would split the minority vote in a district once represented, the first black woman in Congress.

Yassky was heckled -- and someone hurled a chocolate glazed doughnut -- at an appearance earlier this month in front of a Wyckoff Gardens housing project. Many of those jeering were supporters of other candidates in the race.
Yassky is competing with Yvette Clarke, who has strong support within the district's Caribbean community, state senator Carl Andrews, who has ties to the county Democrats' organization, and Chris Owens, the son of the current congressman.

The racial divisions generated the most attention.

New York, NY - Want To Live a Long Life? Try Queens

New York, NY - An analysis of Census Data by Harvard researchers shows that your lifespan can depend on many factors including where you put down roots, as well as your race, gender and income.

The study found that Queens is home to the oldest New Yorkers, with an average of 79 years. Manhattan is next, followed by the Bronx and Staten Island. Brooklyn has the shortest life expectancy.
Asian-American women on Staten Island have the longest life expectancy of any group in the city. Black men on Staten Island have the shortest.

The lowest life expectancies are in Washington D.C., Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina.

Astronauts Lose Bolt and Washer During Spacewalk

Spacewalking astronauts worry that when they have finished up with the successful job connecting an addition to the international space station, a bolt, spring and washer floated away free.

Astronaut Joe Tanner was working with the bolt when it sprang loose, floated over the head of Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and skittered across the 17 1/2-ton box they were hooking up.
While the washer went out into space safely, Tanner worried the bolt and spring could get into the truss's wiring and tubing and causing problems. "Not a good thing," Tanner said. "Let's hope it doesn't end up somewhere in the mechanism.
"I don't see it anywhere."

Wallkil, NY - Election Inspector Arrested

Wallkil, NY - An election inspector whose loud complaints about a paperwork error disrupted voting at a Scotchtown polling place was arrested.

Orange County Election Commissioner David Green asked sheriff's deputies to arrest Madeline Gillespie-Schoonmaker, 55, of the Town of Wallkill.
Gillespie was upset that the form poll workers at the Silverlake firehouse polling location were supposed to use to report election results bore the name of another voting precinct.

She was charged with criminal mischief and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors, as well as disorderly conduct, a violation, sheriff's office Chief Richard Onorati said. She was also sent for a mental health evaluation.

Austin, TX - Governor Candidate Kinky Friedman Criticized for Racism Comments

Austin, TX - A Houston-area lawmaker said that she is "vehemently insulted" by independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman's derogatory comments about Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

Friedman attributed a spike in Houston's crime rate to the "crackheads and thugs" who evacuated New Orleans.
"He has demonstrated a total lack of human sensitivity," said state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston. "The people of Katrina have lost everything and are suffering not only from the loss of loved ones, but the trauma of the event itself. What has precipitated from this tragedy is behavior that results from a disastrous event."

Friedman campaign spokeswoman said. "The fact of the matter is Houston has seen a tremendous surge in crime ... we're talking about homicide jumping 20 percent and many of those are being linked to Katrina evacuees," Stromberg said. "Was he politically incorrect? Sure. But Kinky's not afraid of the truth. He will be honest at the risk of losing some popularity."

Friedman earlier this week also said that we would not pander to different ethnic groups while campaigning for governor. "I don't eat tamales in the barrio, I don't eat fried chicken in the ghetto, I don't eat bagels with the Jews for breakfast," said Friedman, who is Jewish. "That to me is true racism."

Boro Park, Brooklyn, NY +Dwelling Fire+

Boro Park, Brooklyn, NY +Dwelling Fire+ Hatzolah, Fire Departmend and EMS are all responding to a fire in a private dwelling on 55th Street between 14th and 15th Avenue's, 4E's, 2T's, Rescue and Squad are all assigned.

U/D: 14:46
Fire is now P/W/H.

Efrat, Israel +Explosion Rocks Area+

Efrat, Israel - An explosion near an Israeli military checkpoint in the West Bank, injured at least one person on.

The Israeli army had no immediate comment on the incident, which according to the Zaka rescue service occurred near the Jewish settlement of Efrat.

Manhattan, NY +Port Authority Evacuated+

Manhattan, NY + A suspicious package has led to the evacuation of the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors of the north wing of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, NYPD ESU, EMS and FDNY are all on the scene.

U/D:
Package has been ID't by Bomb Squad, all units to clearing.

Newark, NJ - Terminal C Shutdown Due to Airport Worker

Newark, NJ - A Continental Airlines employee used his identification to help a relative bypass security at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The relative tried to get on a flight to Orlando without a boarding pass, triggering a shutdown of a section of Terminal C.

New York, NY - NYPD Detective Breaks His Silence on Kahane and the WTC

New York, NY - A New York Police Department detective has broken his silence about the connection between Rabbi Meir Kahane’s murderer and the terrorists who destroyed the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center.

Political activist Rabbi Meir Kahane was murdered by an Egyptian-born al-Qaeda terrorist after he delivered a speech at a Manhattan event in 1990 -- but because no one actually saw al-Sayed Nuseir pull the trigger, he was acquitted of the crime and was instead convicted on a lesser charge of possession of an illegal weapon. Three years later, Kahane’s murderer helped lead the terror cell which attacked the World Trade Center in 1993.

At the time, the theory that Kahane’s murder had been part of a terror conspiracy was discounted by federal investigators. But Detective John Molelli knew better, having been the first to find and examine the papers in Nuseir's rented house in Cliffside New Jersey.
The papers included plans to attack a number of targets in New York City, including the World Trade Center. Police found photos of the Twin Towers, the Empire State Building and the Washington Monument. They found manuals on how to make bombs. They also found written materials promoting terror attacks on American soil.

He broke his silence about the evidence he found and its link to the World Trade Center attacks this year.
According to some reports, the evidence was ignored because Kahane was the victim in the case. Kahane was considered a troublemaker.

Spring Valley, NY - No Bomb Founded in Suitcase at Hatzlocha Kosher Supermarket

Spring Valley, NY - An abandoned suitcase discovered yesterday outside a Monsey grocery store that has been rocked by a kosher-meat scandal turned out to contain nothing that was explosive.

The Rockland County bomb squad was treating the suitcase with the utmost suspicion. "They X-rayed the suitcase and determined it was not a danger," Spring Valley police Sgt. Thomas Martin said. "It was some socks and a metal pill box." It was unclear how much further detectives might investigate the case.

The scare started when an owner of the Hatzlocha Grocery on Maple Avenue noticed the abandoned suitcase on the sidewalk and called police.
With that kosher-meat scandal in the air, the owner did the right thing by calling police, Sgt. Martin said. "I know that people are upset about the nonkosher meat, but what connection there is to that, I don't know," he said. "We have it here," Martin said of the suitcase. "If no one shows up for it, we will probably throw it away."

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Suspicious Fire at Synagogue+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Suspicious Fire at Synagogue+ Fire Department responded two times to suspicious set fire inside a 125x150 synagogue at Bedford Avenue and Ross Street.
BC-35 reported two seperate fires that started in the building, all of them were knocked down by the Fire Department early this morning.
Fire has been placed as a 10-41 Code-1 NYPD from the 90th Pct and fire Marshals were requested.

Jerusalem, Israel - NY Mayor Bloomberg Isn't Buying, but Israel Property Uses Him in Its Sales Promotion Effort

Jerusalem, Israel - A new luxury apartment complex rising in Israel is using New York Mayor Bloomberg's name to promote its multimillion-shekel apartments.

While Mr. Bloomberg says he has never even stepped foot in the "Jerusalem of Gold" complex on Rabbi Akiva Street in Jerusalem, a front-page article features a photo of the mayor smiling, his arms outstretched and thumbs thrust in the air. It said Mr. Bloomberg was "in negotiations" to buy the apartment and that his representatives had been to Israel to look at the project and scope out the security situation.

"The mayor is not buying a home in Jerusalem" and "is not buying real estate in Israel," a spokesman for the mayor, said.

Monsey, NY - Lawyer Adult Home Official Files Claim Against County

Monsey, NY - A lawyer for Yizchok "Yitzy" Ullman, the Monsey adult home official accused of threatening residents to make them vote for certain Democrats on primary absentee ballots, has filed a notice of claim against the county.

A prerequisite to a lawsuit, the claim asserts that the county illegally discussed with the media its investigation into Ullman. "This press 'leak' was unlawful," reads the claim drawn up by the lawyer, Mark Kurzmann.
The notice charges that Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner Ann Marie Kelly abused her office by spreading "misinformation and/or disinformation concerning baseless allegations against Yizchok Ullman." The county also "intentionally or negligently failed to train and supervise their personnel in the proper conduct of an investigation of alleged violations of the Election Law," according to the claim.
Kurzmann also accuses Kelly of threatening Ullman, the home's administrator, but would not elaborate.

Election inspectors, sent last month to collect absentee primary ballots at the New Monsey Park Home for Adults, reported to Kelly and Republican Board of Elections Commissioner Joan Silvestri that residents there said they received slips of paper with the names of four candidates and were told to vote for them or lose their television privileges.
Ullman denied any wrongdoing and said last month that he had recommended those candidates after some residents asked him whom they should vote for.

Ullman lost a bid for Spring Valley mayor in last year's Democratic primary.

Damascus, Syria - U.S. Embassy In Foiled Syria Attacked By Militants

Damascus, Syria - Syrian security forces killed four gunmen after they tried to storm and have blown up a car outside the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, a fifth attacker was wounded and in custody. No American diplomats were harmed.
"The State Department says "The event appears to be under control and handled by local authorities."

The embassy was not damaged in the attack.

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on Ocean Parkway and Avenue "P" Hatzolah on the scene requesting Medics Code-1 for an unresponsive aided.

Yonkers, NY +Thruway Shut Down+

Yonkers, NY +Thruway Shut Down+ A motor vehicle accident on the northbound I-87 NY State Thruway at Exit 6 Tuckahoe Rd has all lanes blocked.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - Domino Sugar Factory Proposed for Land Marking

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - The Waterfront Preservation Alliance is refocusing its efforts on the ever-changing landscape of Northern Brooklyn, now they are working on the Domino Sugar Factory.  

The group formally requested that the Landmarks Preservation Commission designate the Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg as a New York City Landmark. The Domino site includes buildings that date to the 1880s, and occupies over five blocks of the East River waterfront.  
The reason behind the request now, is because the site is scheduled to be rezoned for residential use and early designs by Rafael Vinoly show plans to largely destroy most of the historic features of the building. 
David Yassky has also signed on to support the designation, and so did The Preservation League of New York State, the Municipal Art Society, the Historic Districts Council, and the Roebling Chapter of the Society for Industrial Archaeology all have the petitioning to the LPC.

Israel - Settler Convicted of Killing Palestinians

Israel - An Israeli court convicted a Jewish settler of killing four Palestinians in a West Bank shooting spree last year, part of a bid to stop Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip.

The Jerusalem district court convicted settler Asher Weisgan of killing the Palestinian workers on Aug. 17, 2005, the day Israel began forcibly evacuating settlers from Gaza. He was found guilty of murder, attempted murder and serious attempt to harm, the prosecution said. Sentencing will take place shortly, a court official said.
Weisgan, a driver, had taken the workers to jobs in Shiloh, a West Bank settlement. Once there, he opened fire on them, killing two. Later he opened fire on other labourers in Shiloh's industrial park, killing two more, before being overpowered.

"The preservation of life is not done through the spilling of blood," the panel of three judges wrote in their ruling.

Convictions of Israelis for crimes committed in the West Bank are rare. An Israeli human rights group said in a report released on Monday that up to 90 percent of cases brought by Palestinians against Israeli settlers end in failure, with files lost or closed for lack of evidence.

Spring Valley, NY +Bank Robbery+

Spring Valley, NY - Police officers, K-9 unit's and RC Chopper-1 helicopter were all on the scene at the Wachovia Bank at 154 Spring Valley Marketplace looking for a man who robbed the bank and walked off with $5,000 in 50's & 100's cash. No weapon or note was displayed during the robbery.

The robber was described as a black male with a light complexion. He was about 5 feet, 9 inches tall thin build wearing a long white T-shirt under a beige shirt and a black cap with "NYPD" on it. He was last seen walking east toward Route 59 into a nearby Dept store.
Police are stopping cars and checking trunks as cars pull out of the shopping center.

Long Beach, CA +Airport Shut Down+

Long Beach, CA +Airport Shut Down+ The Long Beach Airport in Long Beach, CA has been completely shut down, due to a suspicious package in a rental car in the airport.

All flights are on hold, and traffic is completely stopped around the area.

Oslo, Norway - Largest Synagogue Was Terror Target

Oslo, Norway - The largest synagogue in Norway received an ominous warning that it would be one of two targets of terrorist attacks in Oslo.

"I can confirm that we received information that an attack was planned against the synagogue," Anne Sender of The Mosaic Religious Community in Norway said on Monday.
Sender said the threats were so credible and alarming that they were taken "very seriously," and the synagogue's security went on high alert.

Two members of the Algerian-linked group, GSPC, believed to be tied to al-Qaida, reportedly had checked airline ticket prices to Norway just before they were arrested. The two also are believed to have been in Norway earlier, using false identity documents they obtained in France. Police believe they were in contact with several persons in Oslo who support the GSPC. Two Norwegian Muslims and a third person would take part in attacks on two terrorist targets in Oslo. One of the targets was the synagogue, located on Bergstien in the capital's St Hanshaugen district.
The other alleged target wasn't revealed.

Dallas, TX +Suspicious Package on Plane+

Dallas, TX +Suspicious Package on Plane+ United Airlines flight from Atlanta was diverted to Dallas, TX due to a suspicious package on board.

U/D 11:03
The suspicious device was an unclaimed Blackberry on the plane so they decided to land it out of precaution.

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian struck on Nostrand Avenue and Montgomery Street, Hatzolah responding BLS and ALS units.

Brooklyn, NY +Tunnel Closed+

Brooklyn, NY +Tunnel Closed+ Due to a smoke condition in the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel created from an overheated vehicle, the tunnel is closed down in both directions.

U/D: 10:29
Tunnel has reopened.

Manhattan, NY +Suspicious Package at Penn Station+

Manhattan, NY +Suspicious Package at Penn Station+ Penn Station was evacuated due to a suspicious package, suspending all train service in and out of the terminal.
NYPD are on the scene with the suspicious package was discovered in an area used by Amtrak.

Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said all trains - Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit - were affected.

After officials determind that the bag contains personal items it was declared "all clear".

September 11, 2001 -- a date that changed the world

On that day, America suffered a grievous blow. We at VOS IS NEIAS will never forget the facts and feelings of that day -- our feelings as Americans, as Jews, as citizens of an unfamiliar world. We will never forget the sacrifice of the 3,000 men, women and children who perished that day. And we will ever strive to repay our debt to those brave souls from the NYPD, FDNY and EMT's who gave their own lives to save others.
We lost our neighbors and friends and family members, our commonplace assurance of everyday safety, and our innocence, as commercial airliners seized by murderous fanatics plowed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, into the Pentagon, and into a field in Pennsylvania.

In a time like this its also deserving to remember Hatzalah who played a pivotal role in the World Trade Center rescue operations. The very first ambulance to arrive at the World Trade Center following the first plane crash on September 11, 2001 was a Hatzalah ambulance. By the time the second airplane crashed into the second tower, there were two-dozen Hatzalah ambulances, including Hatzalah’s Communications and Command Center trailer, and more than 100 Hatzalah EMTs, paramedics, and doctors on scene. Before the buildings came down, ambulances had arrived from Hatzalah of Rockland County, 40 miles to the North, with additional medics and EMTs. During the first hour, over 125 patients were transported to area hospitals by Hatzalah ambulances.
At the south end of the Twin Towers, Hatzalah was the predominant ambulance service covering the disaster scene. Hatzalah ambulances transported numerous victims, including fire fighters and police

In addition, Hatzalah assisted in the rescue of thousands of men, women and children, who escaped to the docks near the Holocaust Museum in Battery Park and helped evacuate these people onto boats headed for New Jersey .
During the day some volunteers were missing , but, thank G-d, there were few casualties amongst the Hatzalah team - miraculously all Hatzalah members survived.

The Yom Tov (High Holy Days), commencing later this month, are a time of reflection and renewal. We will continue to pray for all who have lost their lives and have been scarred by terror, for the families and friends who continue to suffer, for the men and women from the NYPD FDNY and EMT who today and every day are protecting our freedom and our lives, and especially for thos Chevra Haztolah members who was there for all of us on that day five years ago, and are always ready for us 24 hours a day to save another life. May H'shem bless them and their families.

Boro Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Boro Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on the corner of 16th Avenue and 50th Street in the Borough Park Section of Brooklyn, NY. Hatzolah responding.

Cairo, Egypt - Al-Zawahri Warns Gulf, Israel are Next Targets

Cairo, Egypt - Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, urged Muslims to intensify their resistance against the U.S. and warned of new terror strikes in a video just aired on this fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Al-Zawahir said the Persian Gulf and Israel would be al-Qaida's next targets.

The video is the latest in a flurry of al-Qaida videos released ahead of the anniversary. But unlike the others, it appeared to be new with references to Israel's bombardment of Lebanon this summer and the capture of Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah and Palestinian militants in Gaza.
"You gave us every legitimacy and every opportunity to continue fighting you," said al-Zawahri, al-Qaida's No 2, addressing the U.S. "You should worry about your presence in the (Persian) Gulf, and the second place you should worry about is Israel."

Eatontown, NJ - Yeshiva's Use of Structure Ended by Court

Eatontown, NJ - The three-year legal battle over the use of a house in a quiet residential neighborhood by a religious group appears to be largely over.

Contention between the borough and Yeshiva of Ocean Inc. over how a two-story house on Whalepond Road owned by the nonprofit religious organization was being used came to the borough's attention after neighbors complained about a flurry of construction activity inside the house. Also did neighbors complain that the house was being used as a religious school, with up to 20 people a day attending religious services held there.

Fines were levied in Superior Court against the owners for building without permits, and the borough filed a suit, saying the daily religious activity inside the house, which lies in a residential zone, violated their zoning ordinance.
The suit was decided and the borough prevailed, said Gene Anthony, borough attorney, and Yeshiva of Ocean was ordered to stop holding religious activities inside the house. "All the students have since moved out, and I believe the building is now vacant," Anthony said, the house, along with several in the neighborhood (also owned by Yeshiva of Ocean), were put up for sale."

Now the ounty Construction Board of Appeals that still has to be decided gave the organization a boost when it determined the house was being used primarily as a single-family residence, not a religious school as the borough maintained. It ordered Yeshiva to reinforce the areas of the house where large numbers of people gathered.
Anthony said the borough is appealing that ruling. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15 before Superior Court Judge Lawrence M. Lawson, according to the judge's office.
But, Anthony said, the contention between the two groups is largely over. "In terms of preventing the use, the wrongful use of the building, I think it's over," Anthony said.

Montreal, Canada +Emergency Landing by Plane on Parc Avenue+

Montreal, Canada - A 4 passanger plane made an emergency landing on a busy intersection causing major traffic delays.

The single engine cessna was forced to make an emergency landing on Parc Avenue and Mount Royal, with three people on board, 2 men and 1 child, none of them were injured and minimal damage to the plane and a tree in the area was hit by the wing.

Police suspect or mechanical problems or a lack of fuel was the reason the plane had to land.

Brooklyn, NY +Missing Person Search+

Brooklyn, NY +Missing Person Search+ Hatzolah, Shomrim and chaveirim are organizing a search for a special category 40-year-old male with a black beard that's missing in the Coney Island area of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street.

U/D: 20:44
Search canceled, person has been found.

North Bay, Ontario, Canada - Cash Reward for Recovery of Body of Missing Boater Has Increased

North Bay, Ontario, Canada - A cash reward for the recovery of the body of Eli Horowitz, 30, has increased to $10,000 from $3,000.

David Stein, a paramedic with the Hatzolah organization and close friend of Horowitz, said not finding the body has been frustrating. "Our community is trying to do whatever we can to find his body," Stein said, adding as many as 20 members of Hatzolah, a volunteer-based emergency medical service, continue to search daily.
"We're concentrating of course where his father-in-law's body was found, but at this time we're also searching the entire lake," Stein said.
Ontario Provincial Police continue their search, aided by volunteers who have conducted extensive water, air and ground searches.

Wesley Hills, NY - Man Tries Luring Girl Waiting at Bus Stop Into His Car

Wesley Hills, NY - Ramapo police were searching for a man who tried to lure a 6-year-old girl into his car with candy.
The child ran back to her house and told her mother, who called police. The girl had been standing alone at a bus stop at Rainbow Court and Skyline Terrace.

The child described the man as black, with short-cropped hair in a flattop style, a mustache, and wearing blue jeans and a black short-sleeved shirt with white lettering and a decal, driving a newer model dark blue, four-door Honda sedan. "For her to get the candy, she had to get into the car with him," police said.
Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said that after speaking with the child, investigators believed someone tried to abduct her. "There is no reason for us to doubt the child," Weidel said. "We feel this is serious, and the public should know about these incidents."

This girl was the only child at the bus stop. Weidel said her mother usually watches her from the window of their house. "She took her eyes off the child for few seconds," Weidel said. "It would be preferable for the child not to wait at the bus stop alone." "It would behoove parents to wait with their child at bus stops, as opposed to sending them off alone," Weidel said.

The child attends a private school in Chestnut Ridge, and police have made the bus company aware of the incident.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Structure Fire+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Structure Fire+ Structure fire at 229 Lee Avenue top floor corner Lynch Street, Hatzolah responding, requesting Fire Department on a rush.

U/D: 15:04
Hatzolah members got the fire under control, Fire Department still continuing in to respond to the scene.

West Long Branch, NJ - Prosecutor To Take Over Case of Teenager Arrested at Sisters Wedding

West Long Branch, NJ - A teenage summer resident - arrested in connection with a weekend party scuffle on Monmouth Road as was reported at that time on VOS IS NEIAS, waived his appearance in Municipal Court, and jurisdiction over the case has shifted to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

David Edelstein, whom authorities say is 18 years old but whose uncle says is 17, was charged with two disorderly persons offenses: disorderly conduct and underage drinking of alcohol, and two criminal offenses: aggravated assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.
Edelstein is the son of Marc and Rena Edelstein, Brooklyn residents who spend their summers at their Monmouth Road house, where a scuffle broke out when police responded to noise complaints at an engagement party for the Edelsteins' daughter that was attended by between 200 and 300 guests.

David's uncle, Ronald Edelstein of Long Island, said police made derogatory comments about Jewish people when they responded and he is challenging the police account blaming his nephew for getting combative, so borough police asked the Prosecutor's Office to conduct a probe to determine whether officers acted appropriately.

Ronald Edelstein also said, police used "Gestapo" tactics even though Marc Edelstein complied with their request to lower the music and move cars.

Wallkill, NY - Judge Tosses Out 70 Tickets

Wallkill, NY - Town Justice Ray Shoemaker dismissed about 70 traffic tickets written by troopers, a move that could land him in a higher court - as a defendant, all in response to a new state police policy that bans troopers from reaching plea bargains when they prosecute traffic infractions.

Both the chief lawyer for the state police and Orange County District Attorney Frank Phillips think Shoemaker's wrong. "Step one is to contact the judge, to try to explain to him that his decision is in error," Phillips. "Our next step would be either an appeal or an Article 78 proceeding (a civil suit) to prohibit him from doing this in the future. In my opinion, he's clearly acting in excess of his authority."

Shoemaker's move was the most dramatic response, some judges have postponed trials because Gov. George Pataki is considering whether to sign a bill that would return plea bargaining power to troopers and avert fears of late nights in court caused by an abundance of trials.
Troopers who showed up for trials in Wallkill Town Court told their superiors that Shoemaker dismissed the tickets after declaring that the new policy, which took effect on Sept. 1, made troopers witnesses, not prosecutors. 
Shoemaker confirmed that account after court. "I'm not going beyond that," he said. The tickets were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they could be refilled. "They were just dismissed for failure to prosecute," Shoemaker said.

If Shoemaker's decision is overturned on appeal, the 70 tickets that he tossed would be reincarnated in his court.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident again, twice in three days on the same location on Harrison Avenue and Walton Street, Hatzolah, PD of the 90th Pct and EMS are all responding.

New York, NY - Iranian Jews Sue Ex-President Khatami

New York, NY - A group of Jewish Iranians who say their missing relatives were kidnapped and tortured by the Iranian government have sued the country's former president, delivering the summons to him directly while he was visiting the United States.
The seven families, say their relatives were arrested at different times between 1994 and 1997 as they tried to leave Iran by crossing into Pakistan.

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, claims former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami instituted policies that prevented the relatives from having trials and did not give family members information about where they were.
The lawsuit mentions 12 missing Jewish Iranians, all male, some of whom were teenagers at the time of their disappearance.

Khatami, who recently was granted a special visa to enter the United States, was handed copies of the complaint while attending a reception in Arlington, Va., according to representatives of the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs are suing under the Alien Tort Claims Act and the Torture Victim Protection Act, special laws that allow non-U.S. citizens to sue in American courts, according to one of their lawyers, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, who is in Jerusalem. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of compensation.

Moscow - Synagogue Attacker Realizes His Mistake

Moscow - The Moscow City Court will hand down its second sentence to Alexander Koptsev on September 15.

Koptsev stands accused of stabbing nine people at a synagogue on Bolshaya Bronnaya Street, Moscow, on January 11, 2006.
Now before his second sentence, he made his final statement and said that he had "realized his mistake." "I sincerely regret that I injured the complainants and made their relatives suffer," he said. "The rage and hatred growing from day to day carried me away from reality and dimmed my reason. This is the only explanation I can give for my behavior," he said.

The prosecutor is calling for Koptsev to be sentenced to 16 years imprisonment.

Romulus, MI - Man Tried to Boarding Plane With Knife Hidden in Book

Romulus, MI - A man with a one-way ticket to Yemen attempted to board a plane with a knife hidden in a book. 

Mohammed Ghanem, 21, was jailed on $500,000 after being arraigned on a charge of possessing a weapon in the sterile area of an airport. 
Ghanem was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after Transportation Security Administration officers detected the knife "artfully concealed'' in the book. 
Someone had carved out the inside of the book and placed the knife inside it, said Ghanem's attorney, Nabih Ayad. "He said he didn't know where the knife came from,'' Ayad said. 
Ghanem lives in Hamtramck, Michigan, with family members, but he had a one-way ticket to Yemen, authorities said.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

St. Paul, MN - Abandoned Baby Found on Bench at Synagogue

St. Paul, MN - A week-old baby boy was found abandoned Shabbas morning on a bench at the entrance at a St. Paul synagogue.

The child wasn't there when congregants went into the Synagohue of Aaron on 616 South Mississippi River Boulevard for 9 a.m. services, but he was found on the bench about 10 a.m., after services.
One doctor who was at the synagogue at the time examined the infant and said that he appeared healthy, which was confirmed by medical personnel at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of St. Paul, they then placed the baby, who police say is about a week old, in foster care, said Tom Walsh, St. Paul police spokesman.

The mother had left the child with "a very emotional note" that was not being made public, Walsh said. "Clearly, this young women felt that she had no alternative but to give this child up. ... She was very upset that she wasn't going be able to see the baby anymore."
Rabbi Randall Konigsburg said. "We want the mother to know that God is with her, too. Our prayers are with her, wherever she may be. There are a lot of people all over the city of St. Paul who want to help her."

Police are looking for the mother and would like to see her. "Our principal concern is to know the child's health history," Walsh said. "At this point, we are not looking for criminal charges," he said.