Jerusalem, Israel - Two Teenagers Arrested for Carrying Knives

Jerusalem, Israel - Police have arrested one charedi youth who carried seven knives on him, also brass knuckles, and tear gas. And one other youth for carrying three utility knives, a pocket knife, and brass knuckles.

The two were transferred to police interrogation.

Mount Vernon, NY +Bias Crime+

Westchester County, Mount Vernon, NY +Bias Crime+ Police were called to the synagogue at 11 West Broad Street Shabbas morning for a swastika that was found written on the synagogue.

Toronto, Canada - Four Alarm Fire Burns Meat Shop

Toronto, Canada - A meat market was all destroyed by a raging inferno late Friday.

Perl's Meat & Delicatessen -- a prominent business in the the city's Jewish community located at 3013 Bathurst St. -- erupted in flames just minutes before Shabbas.
"When firefighters arrived, there was dark smoke coming from the roof and flames shooting out up to six feet from the second-floor windows," acting district fire chief Mike Strapko said.
The fire quickly escalated to a four-alarm blaze, prompting 17 fire trucks and about 80 firefighters to respond. Strapko said fire crews were battling the fire for hours. "It's a stubborn fire," he explained. "It's trapped in the ceiling and walls."

Perl's a Toronto landmark founded 50 years ago by a Holocaust survivor, closes early on Fridays to allow the owners to prepare for the Shabbas, so nobody was injured and it was the only business affected by the fire.

Brooklyn, NY +Stabbing+

Brooklyn, NY +Stabbing+ Aided being transported by Hatzolah to Lutheran Hospital after being stabbed by a group of black males at West Street ans Avenue "T" aided isn't in likely condition, perps fled the scene before police arrived, nypd of the 61st Pct are searching the area.

Jerusalem, Israel - Dummy Bomb Found on Roadway

Jerusalem, Israel - Dummy Bomb Found on Roadway
 
Jerusalem, Israel - A dummy bomb with a swastika on it was found on a traffic island along the old road to Maaleh Adumim.

Sappers were called the scene after reports of a suspicious object.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident on New Utrecht and 52nd Street with a pedestrian that was struck, Hatzolah on the scene requesting an ambulance on a rush.

Iraq - Al-Qaeda to Blow Up White House

 
Iraq - Al-Qaeda claimed in a new audio tape to be winning the war faster than expected in Iraq, saying it had mobilized 12,000 fighters.
The group also said it welcomed the Republican electoral defeat that led to the departure of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, and it added that its fighters would not rest until they had blown up the White House.

Brooklyn, NY +MVA/Overturned+

Brooklyn, NY +MVA/Overturned+ A motor vehicle accident on Ocean Parkway and Avenue "L" with one vehicle that overturned and a pedestrian that was struck and is pinned under the vehicle, one aided is unresponsive, Hatzolah responding with two ambulances, BLS and medics and back-up medics all on a rush code-1 to the scene.

U/D: 12:53
Aided female was transported bt Hatzolah to Lutheran Hospital with severe leg trauma.

Jerusalem, Israel - Ahead of Parade Youth Carrying Spikes Detained by Police

Jerusalem, Israel - Police detained a 14-year-old charedi youth in possession of spikes at the junction between Herzel and Rabin Streets in the capital.

Police were on highest alert due to terror warnings ensuing the Beit Hanoun incident and ahead of the parade slated to take place at at the Givat Ram Stadium.

Fallsburg, NY - Bungalow Builders Rush to Beat Ban

Fallsburg, NY - No more bungalows. That was one of the provisions drawn up by the citizens and officials who compiled Fallsburg's new comprehensive plan. Approved by the Fallsburg Town Board, the plan doesn't go into effect until Jan. 1, and the board still has to revise the zoning laws.

Meanwhile, proposals have poured in from developers eager to beat the bungalow deadline: 46 new bungalows on Murphy Road in Fallsburg; 73 more bungalows on Heiden Road in South Fallsburg; 93 bungalows for the old Lakehouse Hotel near Woodridge. At the old Rosemond Campground near Woodridge, 29 bungalows are under construction, and the developers have asked to build a total of 177.
"The people are seeing that the end of the road is coming," said Ron Hiatt, lawyer for the Fallsburg Planning Board. "So we're seeing this rush to get them (proposals) in while they still can."

The Planning Board's not thrilled, but the members still have to follow the existing laws, said assistant chairman Ira Steingart. "Basically, until they change it, there's nothing we can do," he said.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Arrest for Bribery+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Arrest for Bribery+ Two Williamsburg residents were arrested for trying to bribe a NY City Police officer in the Station House.

Uniformed officers of the 90th Pct got a request from two perps late last night to release their friend who was arrested earlier for driving with suspended license, the officers took them up on their offer and asked them to come back when they have the money. Some time later the two came back into the precinct house where they gave the cash to the uniformed officer, they were immediately arrested.
This morning they went in front of a judge, where the two are charged with bribery of a public servant, and their friend for driving with a revoked license.

Williamsburg, brooklyn, NY +Dwelling Fire+

Williamsburg, brooklyn, NY +Dwelling Fire+ Fire in a six story occupied multiple dwelling at 454 Bedford Avenue and South 9th Street, Fire Department using all hands, fire is P/W/H.

Jerusalem, Israel - Israeli Experts Warn Charedim They're Poisoning Families

Jerusalem, Israel - Charedim who were burning plastic garbage bins to protest the parade were poisoning themselves and their families, according to environmental health experts who say burned plastic releases "thousands" of dangerous chemicals.

"The burning of plastic garbage bins must be stopped immediately," they declared, the fumes from the slow-burning plastic bins, mostly in haredi neighborhoods in Jerusalem and other cities with large haredi populations, pose a serious health danger to residents. They can endanger pregnant and lactating women (of whom there are large numbers in haredi areas) and especially children, who are more susceptible to such poisons. They can cause short-term headaches, dizziness and breathing difficulties, provoke asthma attacks and cause long-term damage to people of all ages, the experts said.

The Health Ministry said it has not yet received reports from hospitals about illness connected with the burning, but Richter said "I don't understand how they burn garbage cans, as it violates Jewish law of protecting lives and health and barring the needless destruction of property."

Lakewood, NJ - Computer Glitch Eyed in Vote Woes

Lakewood, NJ - Ocean County election officials will recheck data cartridges from all 758 digital voting machines used in Tuesday's election, after they learned that votes from a single machine in Barnegat were counted twice — and some were also added to vote totals for the U.S. Senate, county freeholder and county sheriff races in Lakewood.

At an emergency meeting, the county Board of Elections asked for help from the state Attorney General's Office to obtain a court order so all machine cartridges and can be reread and checked against Tuesday night's countywide results.
11 votes separate Republican incumbent Al Cirulli from Democratic challenger Dolores Coulter instead of 6, "I think this is a serious issue that the county cannot, and I'm sure will not, let go," Coulter said, adding she was troubled the Barnegat machine affected tallies in Lakewood.

Several municipal races were very tight in Ocean County — Barnegat, Lavallette, Seaside Park, South Toms River and Lakewood — so election officials say they are anxious to offer a transparent process when rereading the machine cartridges.

Lakewood, NJ +House Fire+

Lakewood, NJ +House Fire+ Fire Department were on the scene for a house on fire at 12th Street and Forest Avenue, also the transformer in front of the house was burning, no one was injured the house was badly damaged.

Frankfurt, Germany - Neo-Nazis Attack Jewish Memorial

Frankfurt, Germany - A group of German neo-Nazis, some shouting "Sieg Heil", rampaged in the eastern city of Frankfurt on Oder and destroyed wreaths placed to mark the anniversary of the 1938 Nazi pogrom against the Jews.
The neo-Nazis tore apart floral wreaths and threw away candles placed at a memorial marking a destroyed synagogue in the Polish border city -- 68 years after the Nazis' Kristallnacht or.

Earlier in the day President Horst Koehler, attended the consecration of a new synagogue in Munich, warned that anti-Semitism was still present in Germany.
The new synagogue is near the building where Nazi propaganda chief Josef Goebbels delivered the speech that paved the way for the Nov. 9-10, 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom. Roused by the speech, mobs destroyed hundreds of synagogues across Germany and in parts of Austria, ransacked Jewish homes and stores and attacked Jews, in some cases beating them to death.

U/D:
Police have now detained 19 people between the ages of 15 and 24.

Brooklyn, NY +Suspicious DOA+

Brooklyn, NY +Suspicious DOA+ Police on the scene at 1295 Shore Parkway with a male white found DOA stuffed in a suitcase, active crime scene set up.

North Lawrence, NY +Mischief to Vehicles+

Nassau County, North Lawrence, NY +Mischief to Vehicles+ Police from the 4th Pct are searching for two male black perps teenagers on Rockaway Tnpk and Bay Blvd who were involved in extensive vandalism to multiple vehicles and structures. One male Hispanic in custody.

Queens, NY +BQE MVA+

Queens, NY +BQE MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on the QUeens bound of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway at the Exit to the Long Island Expressway, Hatzolah responding with multiple buses.

Ramapo, NY - Teenager Charged for Shooting Paint Ball Gun at People in Monsey.

Ramapo, NY - A Chestnut Ridge 16-year-old boy was charged on charges accusing him of shooting at residents with a paint ball gun on Halloween eve. The teenager drove around the Monsey and Chestnut Ridge neighborhoods as part of a group of three other youths riding in two cars.

He is accused of firing a paint ball pellet into a man's chest and shooting at a second man and missing. He has been charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree menacing.
One other teenager from the same group was charged earlier with a felony count accusing him of trying to rob a Monsey man at paint-ball gunpoint.

Israel - Police Investigating Possible Kidnapping of Israeli by Palestinians

Israel - police were checking the possibility that an Israeli was kidnapped by Palestinians outside a West Bank settlement.

Police said an 8-year-old girl who lives at the settlement, Beitar Elite, told them she saw Palestinians drag a Jew into a car. Police said they found signs of such an incident near a construction site just outside the settlement fence, where Palestinians are employed. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police are searching the area, and they asked all yeshivas in Jerusalem to check for any missing students.

Beitar Elite is a large settlement of ultra-Orthodox Jews south of Jerusalem. The mayor of the settlement said no one there was reported missing.

Talleyville, DE - Vandals Spray-Paint Hate Graffiti at Jewish Community Center

Talleyville, DE - Anti-Semitic graffiti has been found scrawled on a Jewish Community Center prompting a hate crime investigation by county police.

County police spokesman Cpl. Trinidad Navarro said an employee of the community center found the anti-Semitic remarks and symbols sprayed in neon green and white paint on the rear of the picnic pavilion at 101 Garden of Eden Road in Talleyville. The symbols included swastikas.
Navarro asked anyone with information should call police.

Buenos, Aires, Argentina - Judge Orders Arrest Warrant for Ex-Iran Leader

Buenos, Aires, Argentina - A judge ordered an international arrest warrants for former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and eight others in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center.

The warrants, handed down by Federal Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral, came after Argentine prosecutors accused the Iranian government of masterminding the attack that killed 85 people and wounded more than 200 others. Tehran has repeatedly denied involvement.

On July 18, 1994, a truck laden with explosives leveled the the seven-story Argentine Israeli Mutual Association building, a symbol of the country's Jewish community -- Latin America's largest.

Gagny, France - Arsonists Attack Jewish School

Gagny, France - Arsonists set fire to a Jewish school north of Paris that had been badly damaged in another arson attack in 2003. No one was injured.

The overnight fire, which targeted a ground floor office at the Merkaz Hatorah school in suburban Gagny, was quickly extinguished. Two other small fires were set nearby. Police opened an investigation.

A November 2003 fire at Merkaz Hatorah destroyed around 32,300 square feet of the school. At the time, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said the arson attack had "an anti-Semitic and obviously racist connotation."

Katonah, NY - Kelly Won't Concede Defeat

Katonah, NY Congresswoman Sue Kelly is not giving up her fight to win re-election. In a tough campaign against John Hall that ended with Hall ahead by some 3,200 to 3,500 votes, she said that she will not rest until everyone who voted is counted.
There are some 10,000 absentee ballots that are out there and Kelly, a Republican, wants them all tallied. “Right now it would appear that John Hall has won, but there’s enough outstanding votes that I am going to insist that every vote get counted."

But none of that really mattered in Kiryas Joel, Hall got roughly 2,900 votes in Kiryas Joel, including those cast by a Democrat-leaning voting bloc, and KJ claims that their Mayor Abraham Wieder's eleventh-hour decision to move its votes from Kelly's column into Hall's had pushed Hall over the top. What, they asked themselves is, what had Kelly gotten for Kiryas Joel. They had asked for $5 million for sidewalks she rustled up only $600,000, she also failed to get them homeland security money and abandoned their $20 million grant for a water pipeline when neighboring communities kicked up a fuss.

Kiryas Joel Administrator Gedalye Szegedin explained, it was the widening rift between Kiryas Joel's nominally Republican leaders and the Republican leadership of Orange County - largely as the result of the county's decision to sue Kiryas Joel over its proposed pipeline to the Catskill Aqueduct.
"Eddie Diana should not have gone to court against the pipeline, period," Szegedin said, referring to the Republican county executive. "If the Republicans don't want us, fine. We get the message loud and clear."

Hall brushed aside insinuations by the Kelly campaign that he promised to support the water project if Kiryas Joel leaders endorsed him.
But will his new constituents ask him to resurrect the pipeline grant if they succeed in court? "Absolutely," Szegedin said.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Construction Accident+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Construction Accident+ Hatzolah requested to 739 Bedford Avenue, for a worker that fell at a job site, Coordinator also requested to the scene.

Lakewood, NJ - Police Boss On The Way Out

Lakewood, NJ - Al Peters, director of the Lakewood Police Department, confirmed that he is on the brink of losing his job.

The message was delivered in a phone call by Mayor Meir Lichtenstein, Peters said. He declined to elaborate on the reason for Lichtenstein's dissatisfaction. "You should talk to the mayor," said Peters.
Lichtenstein said it was premature to discuss Peters' job status. "We have not met about this as a committee," he said.

There has been talk for weeks around town about Peters being at risk of losing his job. Last weekend the Vaad, a council of Orthodox Jewish civic leaders, issued a political letter that called for changes in town hall.
Ben Heineman, a member of the Vaad, said Wednesday that there is a dissatisfaction within the Orthodox community regarding the Police Department.

The concerns, he said, include what's perceived as heavy-handed ticketing for parking violations downtown, the handling of the assault of an Orthodox woman last summer and a controversial skirmish between a rabbi and police officer. Peters is the third director in four years.

New London, CT - Rabbi's Car Strikes Woman Leaving Polls

New London, CT - A New London woman remains in critical condition after being hit by a van after leaving a polling center on Tuesday.

The woman was struck on Montauck Avenue, near a polling station at Harbor Elementary School in New London. The woman finished casting her vote, and was then hit while crossing the road to her car. Rabbi Avroham Sternberg was driving the Toyota Sienna minivan that hit the woman.

The victim is in critical condition at Yale New Haven Hospital. It is not yet know whether the rabbi is facing any charges in the incident.

Allegan, MI - Store-Brand Pain Medication Recalled

Allegan, MI - A major manufacturer of store-brand acetaminophen recalled 11 million bottles of the pain-relieving pills after discovering some were contaminated with metal fragments. The recall affects bottles containing various amounts of 500-milligram caplets.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or illness.

Perrigo Co. said it discovered the metal bits during quality-control checks. The company passed 70 million pills through a metal detector and discovered the metal in about 200 caplets, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The fragments ranged in size from "microdots" to portions of wire one-third of an inch long.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., CVS Corp., Walgreen Co. and Costco Wholesale Corp. are among the companies Perrigo supplies.

New York, NY - Rabbi Mason Loses Court Case Against Missionary Group Using his Shtick

New York, NY - A federal judge in Manhattan has ruled that a religious pamphlet with the name and image of rabbi and comedian Jackie Mason is constitutionally protected speech.

Mason sued the a missionary group, which distributes the pamphlets. The comedian contends the group's use of his name and images hurt his career and misappropriated his image as was reported at that time here on VOS IZ NEIAS.

The judge in the case urged both sides to settle before a hearing next week.

Harris, NY - Layoffs at Catskill Regional Medical Center

Harris, NY - Catskill Regional Medical Center slashed 72 jobs, calling longtime employees to the hospital and sending them packing before lunchtime.

The layoffs, which primarily are middle- and upper-management positions that don't involve patient care, had been anticipated for about a week as the hospital struggles to right its financial ship.

Jerusalem, Israel +Parade Has Been Called Off+

Jerusalem, Israel - There is a compromise between Orthodox Jewish leaders and parade organizers, the organizers are willing to move the parade to a closed area – the Rose Garden opposite the Knesset or the Givat Ram Stadium, due to large number of warnings of terror attacks following the Gaza attacks, and the Jewish community is willing apparently not to have a large protest in Jerusalem on Friday

In a meeting with heads of the charedi community, top police officials and organizers of the parade in Jerusalem, representatives of the parade offered to hold a gathering in a stadium without the parade itself, and the leaders of the charedi factions asked the police to release the rioters who were arrested during the demonstrations, and only then they are expected to officially announce their decision not to have a large demonstration.

Monticello, NY +3rd Alarm Fire in Bungalow Colony+

Monticello, NY +3rd Alarm Fire in Bungalow Colony+ Numerous fire departments were on the scene early this morning for a heavy fire that spread fast to a 3rd alarm in a structure in the bungalow colony at 83 Forestburgh Road in Monticello, NY

Jerusalem, Israel - Police Raid Charedi Printing Shop

Jerusalem, Israel - Police officers raided a printing house in Jerusalem’s Me’a Shearim neighborhood after it had distributed flyers with hate messages directed toward the parade organizers and police.

According to police, the printing house is owned by members of an extreme ultra-Orthodox sect that in the past few years carried out acts described by segments of the haredi community as “acts of terror.”
They have recently also waged a campaign against what they refer to as the ‘promiscuity’ on the haredi streets and the infiltration of ‘fashion’ that often times does not correspond with the strict dress codes in the community. The owner of the printing house, in his 30s, was detained for questioning.
“They busted into the structure and emptied it out,” he said, “They didn’t leave one flyer inside. What they couldn’t fit into the vehicles was thrown into a burning garbage can nearby,” a eyewitness said.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Fall Victim+

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY +Fall Victim+ Hatzolah responded to a teenager that fell off a pole at Marcy Avenue and Hooper Street while hanging signs against the parade in Israel, aided isn't likely.

Jerusalem, Israel - Mayor Promises to Protect Marchers of the Parade

Jerusalem, Israel - Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky said with a modicum of confidence that if the parade is held, police will be able to protect the marchers.

He added that nevertheless, police will not be able to stop the widespread protests, the violence, the widening chasm in Israeli society and the property damage that will result from the protests, but he personally opposes the parade.

Brooklyn, NY +Occupied Dwelling Fire+

Brooklyn, NY +Occupied Dwelling Fire+ Fire Department on the scene for a fire on the 2nd floor of a 4 story 25x60 occupied multiple dwelling at 214 21st Street, fire is D/W/H requesting EMS on a rush.

U/D: 22:19
Fire under control, FD calling a 10-41 Code-1 (suspicious fire)


U/D: 11/09 04:59
Fire started again, now its on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors, FD requesting the Fire Marshals to the scene., all searches are negative.

Washington, DC +Democrats Take Control of the Senate+

Washington, DC - Democrats have won control of Senate with Jim Webb victory in Virginia.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Working Fire+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Working Fire+ Fire department on the scene at 973 47th Street for a working fire at location, Hatzolah responding.

Moscow, Russia - Jewish Community Urges Tighter Security at Synagogues

Moscow, Russia - Russian Jewish Communities have called on regional authorities to increase security at synagogues and other facilities belonging to the Jewish community.

"In recent months, we have witnessed a whole series of attacks on synagogues. I am speaking about incidents in Khabarovsk, Astrakhan, Vladivostok and Surgut, not counting insults scribbled on fences and walls in many towns in Russia," spokesman Boruh Gorin said.

Gorin called on local authorities to step up security at facilities owned by the Jewish community to prevent such incidents in the future.

Monsey, NY - Wal-Mart Developer To Hold Meeting

Monsey, NY - The developer of a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter will hold a open house tomorrow to further discuss traffic, environmental and economic studies.
The open house, to run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Montebello, comes a week after opponents to the project held a meeting blasting the proposed store.

Middleton, WI - Jewish Man Upset He Had To Vote At Church

Middleton, WI - a Jewish man whose polling place was at a Catholic church said he was disturbed to see a crucifix hanging over a ballot box.

Dr. Zeev Bar-Av a 65-year-old Middleton man said, "If there is a place where church and state should be separated, the polling place should be it."
Wisconsin Elections Board executive director Kevin Kennedy said the state and municipalities struggle to come up with adequate polling places, and churches have plenty of parking. He adds that polling places don't have to be redecorated to protect voters from feeling uncomfortable, and voters who are bothered can always vote absentee.

North Carolina - Principal Apologizes for Nazi Speech Broadcast

North Carolina - Part of a speech by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels was played over the public address system before a high school soccer game in North Carolina, prompting an apology by the home team's principal.

Robert Carpenter, the principal of Forestview High School in North Carolina said in a letter that the team had adopted the slogan "On to victory," and that a German exchange student who plays on the team had taught other students how to say the phrase in German. "Some of our more zealous students sought to capture this slogan in German and to play it on the PA," two players had downloaded the speech off the Internet, and no adult heard it before it was played at the field, Carpenter said.

New York +John Hall Winner of U.S. Housein the 19th District+

New York - Democrat Musician-turned-politician John Hall appears to have the lead in the New York Congressional race of Distric 19 and has upset 12-year incumbent Rep. Sue Kelly, Republican-Katonah. With 100 percent of the votes tallied in Orange, Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess Counties, Hall leads Kelly in unofficial returns 90,979 to 87,523.

U/D: 23:01
Democrats have picked up 15 House seats, giving them control of the House, and Pelosi set to become the first woman to lead the U.S. House.


U/D: 11/08/06 13:59
A defiant Rep. Sue Kelly did not concede this afternoon and instead vowed to press a fight for a recount.

“Right now it looks like John Hall may have won this election but I am going to insist that every single vote gets counted,” she said at a news conference at her husband’s construction company this afternoon.

Washington, DC +Rumsfeld Resigning+

Washington, DC +Rumsfeld Resigning+ Secretary Of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is Stepping Down as defense secretary following the mid-term election results, President Bush just announced at a news conference from the White House.

Former CIA Director Robert Gates will become the new secretary of defense.

New York, NY - Chassidic Community to Protest Prade in Jerusalem

New York, NY - Thousands of New York chassidics are set to hold a rally Thursday afternoon on the request of the Hisechdus Harabunim, opposite the Israeli consulate in the city at 800 2nd Avenue, in protest of the planned Jerusalem parade

Surgut, Russia - Office of Jewish Organization Attacked

Surgut, Russia - Unidentified assailants threw gasoline bombs at a Jewish organization's office in a Russian Siberian city and scattered leaflets with threats.

The incident in the city of Surgut about 1,350 miles east of Moscow caused a small fire to break out in a Jewish community organization office and it was quickly put out, said Timur Kireyev, the perps also scattered leaflets depicting skulls and bones in the office.

Regional prosecutor's spokeswoman Tatyana Mashchenko said a criminal investigation had been opened into property damage and attempted crime.

Jerusalem, Israel - Tikkun Chatzos in Mourning Over Parade

Jerusalem, Israel - Announcements now over loudspeakers and wall posters all over Jerusalem are calling upon the public to take part in a public Tikkun Chatzos prayer tonight in Jerusalem's Meah Shearim neighborhood. The midnight prayers, beseeching mercy from Heaven, have been called to mourn over the plans to hold the parade in the capital on Friday.

Worshippers coming to Meah Shearim for the public Tikkun Chatzos are encouraged to dress in sackcloth and ashes, as per ancient mourning traditions.

Minneapolis, MN - Lawmaker 1st Muslim in Congress

Minneapolis, MN - Keith Ellison has become the first Muslim elected to Congress, and the first nonwhite elected to Congress from Minnesota.
On the campaign trail, Ellison, 43, talked little about his religious background, focusing instead on his call for an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and his support for single-payer health care. He said his campaign united labor, minority communities and peace activists."We were able to bring in Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists,"he said."We brought in everybody."

The seat was thrown open when longtime Rep. Martin Sabo said he would retire after 28 years. Ellison beat Republican Alan Fine and the Independence Party's Tammy Lee.

Jerusalem, Israel - Mayor Said: We Will Not Give In to Violence

Jerusalem, Israel - Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky announced that he will not be intimidated nor will he give into violence, physical or verbal.
The mayor made his statement after police extricated him from a Meah Shearim building uninjured, when protestors against the Parade began hurling rocks at a Meah Shearim building after learning the mayor was visiting the area.

New York, NY - City Hearing on Council Wage Hikes

New York, NY - Now that Election Day is over, the 51 members of the City Council will turn to some unfinished business.
Like holding a public hearing today on a bill to give themselves a $22,500 pay raise - at an annual combined cost to taxpayers of $1,147,500.

The hearing by the Governmental Operations Committee is set to start at 4:30 p.m., ostensibly to make it more convenient for potential witnesses to go to City Hall after they're done working for the day.

But no one would be very surprised if few - or no - members of the public show up to testify on the bill.
"I'll stay all night if there are people who want to testify," said committee Chairman Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn). "But that's not going to happen."
He said that while many taxpayers might object to the Council voting itself a raise - from $90,000 to $112,500 - "to actually have them come [to City Hall and testify] is another story.". "They don't want to waste their time," added Felder.

Montreal, Canada - Synagogue Complaints about View Into Gym

Montreal, Canada - The view into a gym has driven a rift between YMCA clients and Hasidic Jews in Montreal's Mile End district.

Some members of the Avenue du Parc YMCA are upset with the centre's administrators, who allowed windows on the building's west side to be tinted in order to placate leaders of a Hasidic synagogue across the alley.
The Y members claim the tinted windows compromise the building's interior lighting and make it hard to practise tai chi and yoga.
They've started a petition defending their workout clothes and demanding the tinted windows be removed.

But bembers of the Yetev Lev synagogue paid for the tinted windows at the Y after they complained that their children were unwittingly watching too many women in various states of undress work out at the gym.
The congregation's rabbi said public nudity is not acceptable to his members, nor to any religious Jew.
The Yetev Lev synagogue serves about 300 families from the Satmar sect. The religious school, or yeshiva, educates about 120 boys 16 to 19 years old. About half of them, nearly all from New York, board at the school.

The Y members said the synagogue should tint its own windows if it wants to shield Hasidic children from activities at the gym.

Manhattan, NY +Tunnel Closure+

Manhattan, NY +Tunnel Closure+ A motor vehicle accident in the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel is blocking all lanes and the entire tunnel is closed down.

Berlin, Germany - Death Threats for Holocaust Survivor

Berlin, Germany - Facing death threats from neo-Nazis, one of Germany's Holocaust survivors has been forced to have police install security measures at his home as attacks by the far-right in the country spiral.

On Thursday, the anniversary of Kristallnacht, Isaak Behar, 83, is to lead an annual ceremony at Grunewald railway station, in west Berlin, in which he will say Kaddish for his parents, Nissim and Lea, who were murdered at Auschwitz. A thousand or more Germans, are expected to attend.

Behar - who is one of the few Jews to have returned to his native Berlin after the war - says he has been forced to connect his home to an elaborate security system after receiving threats from neo-Nazi groups. The city's police have installed a complex system of buttons that trigger an emergency call when pressed. He and his wife have a button on either side of their bed, and there is one in every other room in their home.
"I have received threats: 'Close your mouth or we will close your mouth,'" he said.
"By night, they have played Nazi music three times on the telephone. We have changed our phone numbers three times." "Every step I take I have to tell the police. If anything happens to me, they don't want the newspapers to write: 'Where were the police?'"

Beit Hanoun, Gaza - Israeli Shells Hits Neighborhood Killing Civilians

Beit Hanoun, Gaza - Israeli artillery shells killed 18 civilians in Beit Hanoun, a town in the northern Gaza Strip that has been a launching ground for Palestinian militants' rocket attacks on Israel. Thirteen members of one extended family were killed and the dead included seven children and four women, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the killings as a "horrible and ugly massacre" and said that, while he condemned rocket attacks on Israel, they did not justify such harsh military action.
A senior official of the governing Hamas group urged Palestinians to attack inside Israel in response, and the Islamic Jihad group vowed to carry out suicide bombings.
Hamas's armed wing, decrying Washington's "political and financial support" for Israel, appeared to call on Palestinians to attack U.S. targets, urging them in a statement "to teach the American enemy harsh lessons".

Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz ordered an investigation and a halt to shelling in Gaza until its completion, the prime minister's office said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said he and Peretz "voiced sorrow over the deaths of Palestinian civilians ... and offered emergency humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Authority and medical care for the wounded".

A military spokeswoman said Israeli forces had fired shells at north Gaza in response to rockets being launched at Israel.
But an artillery battery had missed its target, a rocket-firing site about a kilometre (half a mile) from the town.

Manhattan, NY +West Side Highway Closed+

Manhattan, NY +West Side Highway Closed+ Due to flooding and standing water on the West side Highway the NYPD has closed down the highway between 70th Street and 120th Street, expect major delays.

Lakewood, NJ +Meir, Miller Win+

Lakewood, NJ - Results are in for the Lakewood Township Committee race and the winners are Meir Lichtenstein (D) and Menashe Miller (R).

The vote tallies are: Meir Lichtenstein 8,767; Menashe Miller 9,288; Michael Sernotti (D) 5053; Hannah Havens (R) 4,741, and Dovid Egert unaffiliated 875.

New York +Hevesi Re-Elected as Comptroller+

New York - Embattled state Comptroller Alan Hevesi is the winner over challenger Chris Callaghan, despite scares over his recent slip in the polls.

Queens, NY +Incoming Plane with Engine Problems+

Queens, NY +Incoming Plane with Engine Problems+ A JetBlue plane is flying to John F. Kennedy International Airport with 1 engine out.
A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says the plane is scheduled to land with in five minutes, 72 souls on board. Crash trucks are standing by.

U/D: 21:42
Plane has landed safely, emergency units are doing an inspection of the engine.

Connecticut +Lieberman Winner of Senate Race+

Connecticut - Incumbent Senator Joe Lieberman is the winner in the Connecticut Senate race. Lieberman, who ran as an independent, to retain his seat with a victory over Democratic challenger Ned Lamont.

New York +Clinton, Spitzer and Cuomo Win+

New York - Incumbent Senator Hillary Clinton is the winner in the New York Senate race with a victory over Republican challenger John Spencer.

Democrat Eliot Spitzer will be the next governor with a win over Republican John Faso.

And Also Cuomo beats Pirro in the state attorney general's race.

Jerusalem, Israel - Rabbis to Curse Parade Organizers

Jerusalem, Israel - A Jewish invocation will be used by ultra Orthodox rabbis in Jerusalem to curse the organizers of the Prade and the police who protect them, said a spokesman for the Edah Haredit Monday.

In a ceremony known as "Pulsa D'nura" (blows of fire), rabbis of the anti-Zionist Edah Haredit rabbinic court will convene sometime before the march, which is scheduled for Friday, to conduct the kabbalistic ceremony which is believed to unleash unearthly powers against specified sinners.
"If done by a competent, God-fearing rabbinic court like the Edah Haredit, the people who are cursed do not live out the year," said a Jerusalem-based rabbi who preferred to remain anonymous.
The rabbi estimated that the curse was also directed at Attorney General Menachem Mazuz. "The haredi community is infuriated with Mazuz," said the rabbi. Mazuz ruled this week that there were no legal obstacles against going ahead with the march.

According to the Edah Haredit, it has been about 50 years since they last used the Pulsa D'nura curse. "It was against people who established Jerusalem's first mixed-sex swimming pool." They said that Gershon Agron, Jerusalem's mayor at the time, was also cursed. "He did not live out the year."

Queens, NY +Serious MVA+

Queens, NY +Serious MVA+ A serious motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on 69 and Kessel Street in front of the yshivah, Hatzolah on the scene requesting medics on a rush.

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Endorsing Hall over Kelly

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - The leadership of the Village of Kiryas Joel is backing Hall over Kelly. 

According to Isac Weinberger, of Brooklyn, the Jewish community in the town of Kiryas Joel has backed Democratic challenger John Hall over Republican Sue Kelly in the 19th Congressional District, despite the lobbying of Mayor Michael Bloomberg for Kelly.
Eliot Spitzer and Hillary Clinton, Isac says, lobbied the community for Hall.


U/D: 11/07:06 17:05
Republican Rep. Sue Kelly's is sending out the attack-bots.
In an automated call that has been going out to Westchester voters today, an anonymous male speaker connects the support of Kiryas Joel for Democratic challenger John Hall to a commitment to a "mammoth, new 13-mile pipeline" they wanted.
"There's a reason why KJ is block-voting for John Hall today, and it isn't because he said 'no,'" the caller says. He goes on to give Hall's campaign phone number, and says Hall is "trading the votes of Kiryas Joel in return for a mammoth pipeline that will damage our quality of life in Orange County."
At the end of the message, a voice says that the call was authorized by the Sue Kelly campaign.

Philadelphia, PA +Threatening Note Found Aboard Plane+

Philadelphia, PA - Authorities at Philadelphia International Airport have shutdown two runways after a threatening note was found aboard a U.S. Airways plane from San Diego.

Philadelphia firefighters and police officers are screening the passengers aboard U.S. Airways Flight 1500 after a note with threats of a bomb was found on this inbound flight. All passengers were being interviewed by officials regarding the origin of the note, the plane has been escorted to Gate B5.

Jerusalem, Israel +Mayor Attacked+

Jerusalem, Israel +Mayor Attacked+ The mayor of Jerusalem Uri Lopulanski with his assistant went to an event on Slonim St in the Bnos Yerushlaim Hall in the neighborhood of Mea She'arim, when protesters start throwing stones and some of them even entered the hall threatening the mayor and his assistant while they were attempted to leave the auditorium, police were afraid for the mayor being assaulted, so they fired tear gas to disperse the crowed surrounding them.

Lakewood, NJ - Vaad To Be Guided by Town Rabbis

Lakewood, NJ - The Vaad, an influential council of Orthodox Jewish leaders, will be restructured to better respond to the concerns of the township's fast-growing Orthodox community, the organization announced in a letter to Orthodox residents.

A council of rabbis is to be formed for the purpose of giving guidance to the 11-member Vaad, which issues political endorsements and takes positions on various civic matters.
"It is the intent . . . to place the Vaad under the guidance of the Ichud Rabbonim and through that to ensure that the needs of the entire Kehilla (community) are appropriately met," the letter stated.

The announcement of the Vaad's restructuring was included in a letter in which the Vaad also made its election endorsements for the municipal, House and U.S. Senate races. "We sincerely recognize that the Vaad . . . must adapt in order to better represent the needs of a growing and diverse (religious community)," the letter stated.

Brooklyn, NY - Muslim Assaulted by Jewish Teens Wants Prosecutors to Charge at Least Five More

Brooklyn, NY - The Pakistani immigrant who was assaulted by a group of Orthodox Jewish teens said he is still shaken more than a week after the attack and fears others will become victims "if justice is not served here."

Wearing bandages over his broken nose and his eyes still black-and-blue from the Oct. 29 beating in Brooklyn, Shahid Amber warned, "What can happen to me can happen to anyone."
"There is so much hate out there, and the hate is so strong that it can lead to violence. I'm sure that if this is not stopped here, then there may be other victims," said Amber, 24, adding he could barely sleep and was having nightmares.

Five youths face hate crime charges in the beating of Amber, who was eating ice cream outside a Dunkin' Donuts in Midwood when his attackers "started hooting at me. They were shouting slogans - 'Muslim terrorist' - and cursing me: 'Go back to your country,'" he said, as was reported here on VOS IZ NEIAS.
Amber's attorney, Omar Mohammedi, said that 10 or more teens were present and "were enticing, were encouraging the bias crime" also should be charged.
But Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) said not all the facts are in. "There's a lot more to this story than has so far appeared," said Hikind, who appeared with Jewish and Muslim leaders to denounce the assault.

Amber's father, Umber Islam, said his Muslim family had never had any problems in heavily Orthodox Midwood, where they have lived since emigrating from Pakistan six years ago. "I love this country, and my love is for all the people who are living in here. If I get angry at them, what will be the use? I don't want to take the law in my hands. I want law enforcement to come forward and take the justice," Amber said.

Far Rockaway, NY - LIRR to Test Noise Reduction System

Far Rockaway, NY - A group that is working to reduce the noise from the trains, that keeps many residents in the Five Towns awake at night got some good news.

Acting LIRR President Ray Kenny has agreed to conduct a pilot program on all eight M-7 train cars that service the Far Rockaway branch, during the winter months which, if successful, would pave the way for an island-wide improvement of noise levels from trains.
In a letter to State Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), who has been pushing the MTA to reduce train-horn noise in the Five Towns, Kenny said that he will explore the feasibility of instructing train engineers on the Far Rockaway branch to reduce the train horns from the current range of 96 to 110 decibels to 96 to 100 decibels.

Far Rockaway, NY +MVA/Entrapment+

Far Rockaway, NY +MVA/Entrapment+ A motor accident with aided trapped at Beach 12th Street and Plainview Avenue NYPD of the 101st Pct, ESU and Hatzolah are on the scene, requesting two buses.

Chicago, IL - Two United Planes Clip Each Other on O'Hare Runway

Chicago, IL - Two United aircraft clipped each other on a runway at O'Hare International Airport. Wendy Abrams, spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Aviation, said no injuries have been reported.

The incident happened as both planes were taxi-ing on the same runway, one directly behind the other. One plane began a left turn and its wing tip hit the tail of the other plane.
One of the planes was United Flight 672 heading to LaGuardia Airport with 110 passengers on board. The other was United Flight 732 heading to Dulles International Airport carrying 96 passengers.

The airline was inspecting both planes.
The FAA has been notified, Abrams said, noting the National Transportation Safety Board will be notified as well.

Albany, NY - Just a Sip of Beer Could Get You Arrested for Drunken Driving, That's the Law Until Next Legislature Session

Albany, NY - Drinking a shot of beer in New York could get you arrested for drunken driving. At least that's the way the state law reads.

Lawmakers this year approved a bill that sets the standard for driving while intoxicated at 0.18 grams of alcohol in a person's blood.
A person's body might produce that much alcohol naturally, said Ed Fiandach, a DWI lawyer in Rochester. Instead of using grams, the law should have used blood-alcohol content as a measure.

"It was a typo," said Assemblyman David Gantt, who heads the transportation committee that approved the bill before it went to the Legislature. "If you go through our laws, mistakes are made all the time. We're human beings."
The purpose of the law is to set a level -- 0.18 percent blood-alcohol content -- that bans prosecutors from taking pleas to a lesser count of driving while impaired, similar to a traffic ticket. The law also would increase the penalties for a 0.18 blood-alcohol content.

The law was supposed to go into effect last week. But prosecutors won't be able to enforce it until legislators fix the typo, said Kristin Splain, who heads the DWI bureau in the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.
Gov. George Pataki signed the bill into law in September. Fiandach said he was told by Pataki's office the governor was aware of the error but figured the Legislature would correct it with an amendment.
The Legislature could return in a special session this year to resolve the typo, or the law could be amended next year, Gantt said.

Manhattan, NY - Call a Taxi by Phone for the Disabled

Manhattan, NY - A yellow cab soon be just a phone call away for disabled riders.

The city Taxi and Limousine Commission is developing a plan to allow disabled passengers to snag taxis by calling the city's 311 telephone system, which would use GPS technology to locate the nearest accessible cab, officials said.
A city dispatcher would then send the driver the passenger's pickup information via text messaging, under one scenario being discussed.

Brooklyn, NY - Hitler Teen Joins Protest of Self

Brooklyn, NY - Students and parents at the Leon M. Goldstein High School where a teen was removed from class for dressing as Adolf Hitler on Halloween marched in protest of the costume - and they were joined by the teen.

Walter Petryk, 16, and his parents strolled with about 50 people from the Leon M. Goldstein HS community to the nearby Holocaust Memorial Park. "They called it a walk of tolerance and respect, so I figured I would go and show my tolerance and respect for other people's views of my costume," Petryk said.

New York, NY - Judge Stops Sale Of Picasso Painting Worth Up To $60M

New York, NY - A Picasso painting expected to fetch $60 million was taken off the auction block so a Manhattan judge could determine if its former owner was pressured by the Nazis into selling it.

"Portrait de Angel Fernandez de Soto" was scheduled to be auctioned off at Christie's, but Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff put the hammer down on the sale.
Rakoff temporarily blocked the auction until he could get to the bottom of a lawsuit filed by an heir to banker Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, who had been a wealthy Jewish banker in Germany until the Nazis took over.
The lawsuit claims Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was targeted by Adolph Hitler for persecution because the Nazis blamed private Jewish-owned banks for Germany's failed economy.

U/D: 11:37
The judge ruled that the Picasso painting can be sold at auction.

Manhattan, NY +Waldorf Astoria Hotel Evacuated+

Manhattan, NY +Waldorf Astoria Hotel Evacuated+ Fire Department using all hands for a high carbon monixide levels on the 5th Floor of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at 120 East 50th Street, people have been evacuated EMS has five aided that have been removed to the hospital, hazMat taking readings and condition is D/W/H.

Ramapo, NY - Trial Against Mosdos Chofetz Chaim Postponed

Ramapo, NY - The case against Yeshiva Mosdos Chofetz Chaim developer charged with running a pre-school out of a trailer was adjourned today after the defense argued that its copy of the town code was missing the section pertaining to the charges.

Deputy Ramapo Attorney Meryl Troodler countered in front of Judge Samuel Colman that the developer's defense attorney Steve Barry of South Nyack, had received a detailed copy of the charges and the code in July from her office and therefore objected to the adjournment. "He had plenty of time. The fact that this is being brought up now it preposterous," Troodler said.
Colman said the defense had until Nov. 20 to put its position in writing, and required the town to respond by Nov. 27. A new trial date was set for 1 p.m. Dec. 4.

Jerusalem, Israel - Police Seeking Missing Boy

Jerusalem, Israel - Police have asked the public's assistance in locating Yair Hass, 9, of Jerusalem, who was last seen leaving school at 11:00 Monday morning.
Yair is described as 4'6" tall, with straight, very short blond hair and gray eyes. He was wearing a blue and white striped shirt, black shoes, and a kippa.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the police.

Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

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

Tel Aviv, Israel - Swastikas on El-Al Flight from Milan

Tel Aviv, Israel - Several swastikas were discovered in the cargo hold of an El-Al aircraft which was on its way from Milan to Tel-Aviv. The swastikas were discovered when the cargo doors were opened in Ben Gurion Airport, and all passengers were held for questioning.

The incident, which caught the passengers by surprise, was discovered only after the aircraft had landed in Israel from Milan's international airport. The swastikas were probably sprayed as the aircraft was being loaded with cargo and baggage by local airport ground staff in Italy. Workers quickly summoned security staff who decided to stop all passengers and keep them in order to try and find out the party responsible for the swastikas.

In a statement El-Al said that "we are shocked from the act which was done by anonymous persons. El-Al has filed an official complaint to the law enforcement authorities in Italy."

Brooklyn, NY - Growing Pains in Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY - “Buildings are popping up like mushrooms,” said CB member Christopher Olechowski of post-rezoning Williamsburg and Greenpoint. “All you hear are jackhammers. If you go down Kent, the road is being repaved. It’s everywhere."

While some people dislike the growth itself, others are upset that the city has not kept up with the developers -- either in terms of enforcement or promises of affordable housing.
There are have been 24610 construction permits from the Department of Buildings and only nine new units of affordable housing created. And to top it off, the city has yet to finance a legal fund it promised to help tenants fight displacement by overeager developers.

The watchdog group Williamsburg/Greenpoint Development Watchdog reports that more than 20 projects in the area have damged adjoining structures. The developers blame poor existing structural conditions and most residents point the finger at carelessness and greed on the part of developers and inefficacy on the part of DOB. “We’re in such a huge boom,” said William Harvey, an architect who lives on North 8th Street. “D.O.B. doesn’t have the people power to watch over it.”

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on 14th Avenue and 49th Street. Hatzolah on the scene requesting an ambulance.

Jerusalem, Israel +Suspicious Package with Note+

Jerusalem, Israel - Police on the scene at a gas station in Jerusalem with a suspicious package. Police are checking with the sapper inside the package which is filled with stones and metal scraps.
A note was also found inside the package with the message: against the parade.

Manhattan, NY - Columbia University Nazi Linked

Manhattan, NY - Holocaust historians accuse Columbia University of maintaining cozy relations with the Nazis in the 1930s - even after the Third Reich purged German universities of Jewish professors, burned books by Jewish authors and instituted laws that stripped Jews of citizenship. And now, Columbia should apologize for that connection, the researchers said.

University of Oklahoma Professor Stephen Norwood, an expert on Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, claims that shortly after the Nazis took over in 1933, Columbia President Nicholas Murray Butler hosted a reception on campus for German Ambassador Hans Luther. Students protested Luther's speech.
Norwood also discovered that Butler sent Professor Arthur Remy to Germany as a delegate to celebrate Heidelberg University's 550th anniversary in 1936. Remy's presence at Heidelberg "helped legitimize the Nazi regime," Norwood charged.

A Columbia spokesman said the university was aware of the accusations, but the administration hasn't decided whether it will investigate them.

NYC - United States Military Ship Stopped by Mud

New York, NY - After 24 years at the same Hudson River pier, the legendary aircraft carrier USS Intrepid was inched out of its berth by powerful tugboats - but it never got under sail because it got stuck in the mud as the tide went down.

The mission was scrubbed for the day at around 10:30 a.m., according to Dan Bender, a Coast Guard spokesman.

The Intrepid's giant propellers got stuck in the mud as the tugboats strained to move the behemoth. It eventually began inching backward out of its berth - but moved only a few feet.

Manhattan, NY +Move On The Way for USS Intrepid+

Manhattan, NY - After 24 years at the same Hudson River pier, the legendary aircraft carrier USS Intrepid is overdue for some restoration and repair, and its on the move now to a dry dock repair shipyard in Bayonne, New Jersey.

The ship is underway with New York harbor's most powerful tugboat extracting the World War II flattop from its berth for this one-day journey to a New Jersey shipyard. It will return in 2008 to a rebuilt pier, to resume its mission as a military and space museum dedicated to America's war heroes.

Under the clear blue skies, the tugboats tooting its horn, began guiding the massive vessel after crew members tossed a line, symbolically detaching the ship.
Helicopters flew overhead; New York Police Department blue-and-white power boats, two Fire Department boats and a Coast Guard cutter were on hand to accompany the aircraft carrier — which has no engines of its own.

A daylong journey is planned across the river to New Jersey for $60 million in restorations and repairs.
Elected officials and dozens of former crew members are on the scene the sendoff ceremony.


U/D: 10:39
Intrepid mission scrubbed for today after it got stuck in the mud as the tide went down.

Philadelphia PA - University President Poses With Suicide Bomber

Philadelphia PA - The president of one of the leading universities in the United States posed for photographs with a student dressed as a suicide bomber.

In copies of photos University of Pennsylvania president Dr. Amy Gutmann is seen standing with engineering student Saad Saadi at the annual Halloween costume party held at the president's home.
Saadi is seen with a keffiyeh around his head, a toy Kalashnikov rifle in hand and six plastic sticks of dynamite strapped to his chest. Gutmann beams alongside him.

Gutmann, who is herself Jewish, was inaugurated as university president in 2004. Her father, Kurt, fled Nazi Germany with his family in 1934.
In other photos taken at Gutmann's party that evening, Saadi can be seen carrying out a series of mock hostage executions, evoking images reminiscent of the series of abductions and murders of Westerners in Iraq in 2004.
In one instance, Saadi stands over a fellow student crouched on the ground, and points a gun at her head while reciting verses from the Koran.

Midwood, Brooklyn, NY - Observing Shabbas a Religious Necessity But a Sanitation Dilemma

Midwood, Brooklyn, NY - The area of Brooklyn east of Midwood houses has large Orthodox Jewish families with children that can produce large amounts of garbage, and for some of the Orthodox families, getting that garbage carted away has become a weekly annoyance.

The city collects the area’s trash on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and the Saturday collection day presents a problem. On that day, the Jewish Sabbath, observant Jews refrain from activities like carrying items on and off their property, and that prohibition includes moving trash cans to and from the curb. As a result, Orthodox families there must put their trash cans out before sundown on Friday, and they cannot retrieve them until Saturday night.

The city, however, has its own rules, and some residents have complained of receiving summonses for putting out their garbage too early. The problem, which has worsen because the Sabbath can start in winter shortly after 4 p.m. on Friday.
According to State Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, who represents the area, the Department of Sanitation assured her a year ago that residents would not get tickets as long as they waited until 4 p.m. Friday to put out their garbage. But the temptation to take out the trash earlier is strong, said Raphael Treitel, an Orthodox Jew who lives on Avenue M with his wife and five children. “People don’t want to be walking around in their Sabbath clothing schlepping garbage cans,” he said.

Most complaints, though, center on the empty cans that spend all day Saturday at the curb. In the winter, Ms. Weinstein said, “the cans are sitting there in the snow, maybe covered with snow, being blown around, becoming a hazard to people in the street.”
Matthew LiPani, a Sanitation Department spokesman, said that his agency was sensitive to the community’s needs and that summonses were issued only when trash cans had not been retrieved by Monday morning. But he added: “Changing the day of collection is not an option. That would involve changing the whole district and could upset schedules in other areas.”
Still, Mr. Treitel said: “For us, it’s not a matter of personal inconvenience. It’s a matter of religious necessity, which is a little bit different.”

Gaza Strip +Suicide Bomber Blows Up+

Gaza Strip - A Palestinian woman suicide bomber blew herself up near Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip, wounding one soldier.

Israeli forces have been operating in the area for the past six days in a bid to curb cross-border rocket attacks.

Ramapo, NY - Trial Set for Developer of Yeshiva Housing

Ramapo, NY - The town is set to go to trial against the developer of a yeshiva with adult student housing on charges of running a preschool out of a trailer after settlement discussions broke down.

Town Attorney Michael Klein said the town intended to prosecute Mosdos Chofetz Chaim at 1 p.m. today in front of Judge Samuel Colman. The town cited the developer in February for operating without a site plan and a certificate of occupancy.
The developer could face a $5,000 fine on each of the six counts if found guilty. "We had discussions and nothing was finalized," Klein said. "We haven't heard back from them. We're ready for trial."

Construction on the 60-apartment yeshiva on Grandview Avenue site continued, and looked to be near completion.
Richard Ackerson, the deputy town attorney who oversees the Planning and Zoning departments and Klein said the project was allowed to continue because the developer had already received a building permit and the town's citation did not affect the project's construction.

Dennis Lynch, the developer's South Nyack-based attorney, said he would not discuss the details of any settlement discussion with the town. He said that if the town wanted to go to trial, his firm was ready. "While we respect the town, we fundamentally disagree with its charges," he said. "We're prepared to settle but not surrender. If an amicable solution can be reached we'll be happy. If we have to try the case we'll be equally as happy."

In addition to the town's citation, the state's Office of Children and Family Services had ordered the preschool shut down in March when it appeared the yeshiva was operating without a child care license or registration. The developer has appealed that decision as well.

Brooklyn, NY - Goldstein High School Students to Hold Protest Against Halloween Hitler

Brooklyn, NY - Students and parents from Leon M. Goldstein High School are planning planned to protest on Shore Blvd just outside of the Kingsboro Community College to the nearby Holocaust Memorial Park to denounce a student's masquerading as Adolf Hitler in school for Halloween.

Penny Lee Berman, president of the Brooklyn school's parent association, said 16-year-old Walter Petryk's stunt, was hurtful to fellow students and the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood, which is home to a large Jewish population.
The so-called Walk of Respect and Tolerance will start at the school.

Petryk has insisted his costume was an exercise in free expression and just a parody of the reviled Nazi dictator. He could face a suspension for defying repeated requests by school administrators to take off the get-up.

Israel - Thousands of Charedim Men Protest riot in Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Israel - Thousands of Charedim men protested in Jerusalem ahead of the High Court of Justice's ruling today on whether to approve the parade, which is planned to take place in the capital Friday.

Protestors set fire to garbage bins, block roads and hurl stones at police officers, Jerusalem Police detained 25 protesters so far, and large forces were dispatched to the area. Four police officers and a photographer were lightly injured.

La Spezia, Italia - Ex-Nazi Convicted for 1944 War Crime

La Spezia, Italia - An Italian military tribunal convicted an 86-year-old former Nazi officer in absentia in the 1944 killings of 10 civilians.

Heinrich Nordhorn, who lives in Germany and didn't attend the war crimes trial in La Spezia, was sentenced to life imprisonment for involvement in the hanging of 10 Italians in retaliation for attacks near Forli which had wounded two Germans, one of them fatally.

Orangeburg, NY +MVA/Overturned+

Orangeburg, NY +MVA/Overturned+ A motor vehicle accident with an overturned 15 passenger van with kids, with some of the kids injured on the south bound of the Palisades Interstate Parkway between Exit 5 and Exit 6, Monsey Hatzolah responding on a rush, anticipate traffic delays.
The van with kids was on there way from Monsey to a yesivah in Washington Heights, NY.

U/D: 07:36
Monsey Hatzolah transporing all aided to Nyack Hospital, all injuries are minor.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Hotel Fire+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Hotel Fire+ A fire in the basement of a 4 story 100x100 hotel at 1206 48th Street and 12th Avenue the Park House Hotel, fire with extension to the first floor, fire department responding, Ladder 149 is the fast truck.

U/D: 20:50
All visible fire has been knocked down, searches in progress, fire will be P/W/H.

U/D: 20:59
Fire under control, primary and secondary searches are negative

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident with a pedestrian that was struck on Coney Island Avenue between Avenue "K" and Avenue "J" Hatzolah responding.

Jerusalem, Israel +Parade Gets Go-Ahead

Jerusalem, Israel Israel’s attorney-general turned down a request by Jerusalem police to call off this week’s parade.

Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz ruled that the parade, which has drawn threats of violence from fervently Orthodox protestors, could go ahead Friday, but he ordered organizers to confer with police on changing the route so as to reduce friction with Jerusalem’s religious communities.
Dozens of fervently Orthodox Jews in Mea She’arim rioted at the news that the parade was to proceed, blocking off the city’s Shabbas Square with burning trash cans.

The Eda Hcaredis leadership said that although it opposed violent demonstrations, it could do nothing to stop them. Rabbi Moshe Sternbach, head of the Eda Hcaredis Rabbinic Court, said he had specifically ordered his followers not to use violence. "I said 'don't give blows,' but the public is really angry and cannot control itself."

Shmuel Poppenheim, editor of Ha'eda, the mouthpiece of the Eda Hcaredis, said that the rabbis called on their followers to everything in their ability to disrupt citizens' lives. "But everyone knows not to do anything prohibited by the Shulhan Aruch," said Poppenheim.
"Most of the public listen to the call to wear sackcloth and smear ashes on themselves, pray that the abominable march will be canceled and scream gevalt. There is nothing we can do about a few people who lose control."

Midwood, Brooklyn, NY - Pakistani Hate Crime Attack Victim Speaks Out

Midwood, Brooklyn, NY - Police are calling it a vicious hate crime. The victim is Pakistani and his alleged attackers are a group of Jewish teenagers as was reported first here on VOS IZ NEIAS.

The victim is at Bellevue Hospital where he is recovering, the doctors have informed him that he will require reconstructive facial surgery.
"They were saying you Muslim terrorist..get out of the country," Shahid Amber said.
Those are the words that 24-year-old Shahid Amber says preceded a violent attack by a mob of teenagers -- an attack prosecutors are now calling a hate crime. "One of them spit in my face and then when I wipe the spit off my face, I opened my eyes and saw brass knuckles," he said.

The incident happened in the Midwood section of Brooklyn right outside a Dunkin' Doughnuts near the corner of Avenue M and East 15th Street.
Shahid Amber, who is Pakistani, was standing outside eating ice cream when witnesses say he was surrounded by a group of Jewish teenagers who attacked him. The attack that broke Shahid Amber's nose and scarred his face. But the pain runs deeper than that for his family.
His mother says like millions of other immigrants they came to this country looking for a better life. But on this night as she clutches her son's blood stained coat, after this violent attack, the only thing she's hoping for now is justice for her son. "No more this country safe for Muslims ...no more," she said.

Those responsible will face hate crime charges. The Brooklyn DA's office tells us there have already been five arrests and say there may be more ahead.

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+

Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY +Pedestrian Struck+ A motor vehicle accident on 17th Avenue and 54th Street with a pedestrian that was struck, Hatzolah responding medics and back-up medics also requested.

New York - Spitzer's Campaign Boss Disciplined For Drunk Driving

New York, NY - Just days before the general election, the man organizing Eliot Spitzer's run for governor was arrested for allegedly driving drunk. Eliot Spitzer's campaign says it has imposed "appropriate sanctions" against him and he is facing DWI charges.

Ryan Toohey, 31, was charged with drunk driving outside Buffalo after he ran into another car and then flipped his own vehicle.  "DWI is a serious matter for which Ryan knows he must be held accountable," said Spitzer spokeswoman Christine Anderson.  With just a few days left in the race, Toohey was not fired. But his pay will be docked from the date of the crash to the end of the campaign and he will not be invited to serve on the transition team if Spitzer is elected governor, a campaign source said.

He's facing several other traffic violations as well. Toohey is due in court Wednesday, a day after his boss hopes to become the state's newest governor.  

He told Spitzer about the arrest only after being contacted by a reporter late last week, the source said.

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+

Brooklyn, NY +MVA+ A motor vehicle accident on Bay Parkway and McDonald Avenue with a total of four aided non serious one is pinned in the auto, Fire Department on the scene requesting EMS, jaws in use.

Orange County, NY - Route 105 Road Work Delayed Until Spring

Orange County, NY - Drivers rounding the sharp bend on County Route 105 and passing Kiryas Joel should be on the noticed that the road improvements that Orange County planned to be finish by fall are now scheduled to take place in the spring.

County workers are waiting to pave the diverted roadway, but the contractor hired by Village of Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY to do the excavating and leveling of earth – R.O. Excavating, a KJ neighbor – has taken longer than expected to complete that end of the work, Orange County spokesman Steve Gross said.
The $500,000 project is a collaboration between the county and the village. The goal is to make the curve more gradual and turn a dangerous Y-shaped intersection into a safer “T.”

Beit Shemesh, Israel - Charedim Stone Non-Kosher Buses

Beit Shemesh, Israel - Dozens of ultra-Orthodox men hurled stones at Egged buses in the town of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, protesting the fact that the buses were "not kosher" because there is no separation between men and women on the buses.
One driver was lightly injured, while another driver was forced to fire shots in the air in order to get away from the rioters.

Brooklyn, NY - Concorde Supersonic Jet to Travel to the Borough, but Not by Air

Brooklyn, NY - A Concorde supersonic jet that once flew to and from Kennedy Airport in Queens and has floated at the edge of Manhattan for two years is now headed to its third borough: Brooklyn.

Officials of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, where the Concorde has been on display on a barge, said that they had arranged to have it temporarily parked outside a new recreational center at Floyd Bennett Field, a defunct airport a few miles from Kennedy. The operators of the center, Aviator Sports and Recreation, agreed to pay to move the plane from alongside Pier 86 on the West Side and back again in about 18 months, that is how long the U.S.S. Intrepid, the aircraft carrier that houses the museum, is expected to be away while the pier is rebuilt. It will be towed to Bayonne, N.J., for an overhaul.

The 203-foot-long Concorde, which sits across from the Intrepid, has been one of the museum’s most popular exhibits since it arrived in 2004. The Concorde would be towed on its barge to a ramp that extends into Jamaica Bay on the east side of Floyd Bennett Field, then, a crane will lift it onto a runway and, if its tires can be inflated and its wheels still turn after two years of sitting idle, it will be towed across a runway to the hangar that has been converted to house Aviator’s ice-skating rinks and basketball courts.

Monroe, NJ - Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe Opens Its Own School

Monroe, NJ - The Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe has opened a religious school for elementary-age pupils in Monroe Township.

“We are calling it a pilot program,” said Chanie Zaklikovsky, the school’s director and wife of the Chabad rabbi, Eliezer Zaklikovsky. “We have eight children enrolled, ages eight to 11,” for the Sunday morning classes. “If we get more children or younger children, we will open the school to them as well.”

Despite the area’s reputation as a haven for retirees, the Zaklikovskys predict there is a need to be filled among Jewish families who have moved into the housing developments that have blossomed in Monroe Township in the past few years.

Israel - Chillel Shabbas Leads to Dismissal of Senior Electric Official

Israel - The head of logistics in Israel Electric Company, Tzvika Mor, has been dismissed from his senior post as a result of the Friday night chillel Shabbas b'farhesia event.

Israel electric came under fire for transporting a major generator on Friday night, the Shabbas, a move that violates the Shabbas status-quo which the utility company is responsible to maintain.

Rockville, MD - Police Seek Public's Help for Vandalisms to Vehicles

Rockville, MD - Detectives from the 4th District seek the publics help for information on vandalisms that occurred in the Aspen Hill Section of Rockville.

Officers of the 4th District were called to 13300 Arctic Avenue, for a report of vandalisms to three vehicles parked in the Melvin J. Berman, Hebrew Academy’s parking lot. The first vehicle had slashed tires and a swastika was scratched on the back of the vehicle. The second vehicle had a swastika scratched on the rear quarter panel and the trunk area. The third vehicle had a swastika scratched on the back of the vehicle.

Anyone who has information about this incident and/or the suspect(s) is asked to call the 4th District Investigative Section. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County. The Hate Crime Tipster Fund will pay a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information provided to them that leads to an arrest and/or indictment of the suspect(s) in this crime.

Brooklyn, NY - Builder in Court with City Over Stop Work Order

Brooklyn, NY - Developer Mendel Brach and fellow developer Moshe Oknin teamed up with architects Robert Scarano and Henry Radusky in the race to build an apartment tower at 144 N. Eighth St. in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, before the block was down-zoned.

Opponents of the project have dubbed it the "finger building," likening it to an obscene gesture in the low-rise neighborhood.
Scarano submitted plans for roof decks over two of businessman Scott Spector's adjacent properties to meet an "open space" requirement that would allow the building to rise above 10 stories. But Spector sued Scarano, Brach and Oknin, charging they had no right to build over his property and that they also tore down another of his buildings without permission.
In court papers, Brach denied the allegations and says they were made after the developers turned down Spector's demand that they buy the building in question for $17 million, "a price far in excess of the value."

The Buildings Department has ordered the developers to stop construction of the violation-riddled building at the 10th floor. But Brach hasn't given up. He has filed for summary judgment that would allow him to build to 16 stories. The case will be argued in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Nov. 13.

Jerusalem, Israel - Police Arrest Youths for Rioting

Jerusalem, Israel - Hundreds of haredim took to the streets of Jerusalem Motzai Shabbos, police claim they were throwing rocks and firecrackers at inter-city traffic, setting fire to everything flammable throughout streets of Jerusalem, uprooting a traffic light and assaulting both policemen and civilians. One policeman was lightly wounded and substantial damage was caused to police property, police took six haredi youths and arrested them.

Baghdad, Iraq +Saddam Hussein Sentenced+

Baghdad, Iraq - Saddam Hussein has been convicted and sentenced to death by hanging for crimes against humanity.