Beijing, China - Rabbi Shimon Freundlich picked up the phone in Beijing, and a Chinese factory boss launched his pitch. He wanted to join the growing ranks of Chinese exporters who have earned a kosher seal of approval. He promised to follow the rules and to welcome surprise inspections. So, the rabbi asked, what's the product? "Tables and chairs," came the reply. A bit more enthusiastic than...

Golders Green, London - A holocaust survivor who was jailed for his part in a £6.9million money laundering scam was freed as "an act of mercy". Mendel Rand, 87, from Golders Green, North London, was sentenced to 18-month in jail, but got it replaced with a suspended sentence at the Court of Appeal in London. Mr. Rand told the court that while in prison he suffered nightmares...

Muskogee, OK - A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that will help authorities solve the mystery of a potentially dangerous device found outside a Muskogee synagogue. Federal agents said they have yet to identify a motive, but they are investigating the incident as a hate crime. The device was found outside Temple Beth Ahaba, 209 S. Seventh St. It was spotted by a passerby, who...

Rockland County, Hillcrest, NY +Palisades Parkway Closed+ A motor vehicle accident on the northbound lanes of the Palisades Interstate Parkway south of Exit 12 with some aided trapped inside one of the vehicles that on fire Fire Department and EMS and ALS are all on the scene for aided with serious injuries. All lanes northbound have been closed down...

Washington - The United States will be ready to launch a missile attack on Iran's nuclear facilities as soon as early this month, perhaps "from 4 a.m. until 4 p.m. on April 6," according to reports in the Russian media on Saturday. According to Russian intelligence sources, the reports said, the US has devised a plan to attack several targets in Iran, and an assault could be carried out by...

Brooklyn, NY - A motor vehicle accident involving an Hatzolah member with a pedestrian that was struck at E 53rd Street and 56th Drive multiple ALS and BLS units responding to the scene...

Detroit, MI - A federal judge has revoked the citizenship of an 85-year-old Michigan man after finding that he shot Jews as a member of a Nazi police unit.U.S. District Judge Marianne O. Battani ruled that John Kalymon, of Troy, served as a member of the Nazi-operated Ukrainian Auxiliary Police during World War II in the city of Lviv. Kalymon's unit rounded up Jews, imprisoned them in a...

New York, NY - Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to exempt higher priced clothing from the sales tax and add onto the cost of cigarettes. The mayor is pushing for an additional 50 cent tax on a pack of cigarettes, which would put the combined state and local taxes at $3.50. The additional tax would make it the second largest in the nation; Chicago has the greatest cigarette tax. He also wnats...

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - Rabbi Henry Sobel who was charged with shoplifting, entered a hospital for what doctors called a mood disorder after using drugs that may cause confusion and amnesia.The Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement Sobel was admitted "due to an episode of mood disorder, represented by a lack of emotional control and altered behavior." ...

Washington - A uniformed flight attendant was arrested at Dulles International Airport after she turned herself in for allegedly carrying a concealed handgun aboard a flight from Atlanta, authorities said Saturday. The Transportation Security Administration, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies were investigating how the gun passed through security unnoticed in Atlanta, TSA spokesman Barry...

Spring Valley, NY - Village officials are working with the rabbi to enable him to make his matzo in a makeshift bakery in his back yard without violating village code, but some of the violations will be resolved just after the Passover holiday. Village Deputy Building Inspector Manny Carmona ordered Rabbi Aaron Winternitz to stop baking the matzo last week after he found several code violations...

Ramsgate, UK - AN ATTACK on Orthodox Jews has been made in a leaflet posted through Ramsgate mayor Steve Ward's door. The letter, titled A New Montefiore College, launches a poisonous tirade against Charedi Jews, who are distinctive because of their long black coats and fur-brimmed hats. The anonymous author accuses followers of this branch of Judaism of living in squalid conditions and making...

Your Voice on VIN. by Pinchas Milech. New York, NY - Riddled with crimes and wracked daily with the most terrifying incidents, Brooklyn communities in the 80’s and 90’s were dangerous places to reside. While most of the inhabitants despaired of ever resolving the crisis, a group of heimish volunteers gathered together to stand up against the violence. As Good Samaritans, they then formed the...

Queens, NY - Crews are desperately trying to put out a 4 Alarm fire that is spreading from home to home in Queens. The blaze broke out at 2:25 Friday afternoon at 145-29 Lakewood Avenue, near Liverpool. It started in one home, and has spread to three others. Authorities says that so far, one person has been seriously injured in the fire. Fire crews are on the scene now, as white smoke...

Washington - A gang of professional car thieves trolls the parking lot of an upscale retail mall until they find what they want: a shiny new SUV. Within seconds they've disabled the alarm, hot-wired the engine, and driven away. Now, how to sell the car for big bucks? They COULD do the traditional…and sell it for parts or as hot merchandise. But that would only bring in a few thousand dollars...