Russia - Russian archaeologists say they have found the long-lost capital of the Khazar kingdom in southern Russia, a breakthrough for research on the ancient Jewish state. "This is a hugely important discovery," expedition organiser Dmitry Vasilyev said from Astrakhan State University after returning from excavations near the village of Samosdelka, just north of the Caspian Sea. "We can...

Borough Park, NY - I have to commend Vos Iz Neias on taking a stand on child molestation in the Frum community. There comes a time when politics has to take a backseat to important issues ripping at the very fabric of a community. Dov Hikind has put politics aside on this issue, to let the chips fall where they may. Never expecting to run for public office, I never let politics stand in the...

New York - AT&T's wireless data service is down this morning, affecting all phones that use the provider for data messages. Users, starting in the Northeast, reported problems with both EDGE and 3G data services starting at around 4:30 a.m. this morning. Voice calls were still possible, but Web surfing and e-mail were not. U/D 1:00 PM the outages are being fixed and service is...

Kiryat Yovel, Israel - Whats happening in one Jerusalem neighborhood is beginning to look like a street battle - though so far, with property damage only. Every Saturday, a group of secular residents takes to the streets of their neighborhood, Kiryat Yovel, in order to vandalize the poles and wires set up by a private Haredi organization. A few days later, the Haredim fix the damage, which then...

South Fallsburg, NY - A Fallsburg man was charged with felony arson and hate crimes on Tuesday in connection with a bungalow fire and spray-painted slurs in his Sullivan county town. Town of Fallsburg Police said Edward Smith, 44, allegedly started a fire at Skopps Bungalows on Seldon Road and also spray painted slurs and threats. Smith was arraigned by Judge Bart Rasnick and sent to...

Brooklyn, NY - A Brooklyn teen once banished to a Jamaican boot camp has come to the defense of a businessman charged with scamming mostly Orthodox Jewish investors out of $250 million. Isaac Hersh, 16, says accused swindler Joseph Shereshevsky paid for the private jet that whisked him out of Jamaica in March, freeing him from what he called a "living hell." "If not for Joseph, I would have...

New York, NY - Mayor Bloomberg said that he met once with Senator McCain's pick for vice president, Governor Palin, at City Hall last year. But he could not recall what he and Mrs. Palin talked about. "I don't remember what we talked about," Mr. Bloomberg said. "But she is somebody with experience." The mayor said he has also met with Senator Biden, the Democratic party's vice presidential...

Winooski, VT - Police are investigating an anti-Semitic threat that was mailed to Winooski City Hall. It was received by Fire Chief Dave Bergeron. The unsigned letter included derogatory comments about Jews and said the recipient would die. Bergeron has supported City Manager Joshua Handverger during months of controversy regarding his job performance. Handverger is Jewish and says this is...

Jerusalem - Israel has brought 20 Georgian citizens severely wounded in the recent war with Russia to the Jewish state for medical treatment. The patients arrived on Tuesday night and were taken by ambulance to several hospitals around the country. Israeli medical officials told Ynet that the treatment of the severely wounded patients is part of Israel's humanitarian aid to Georgia in the...

Norfolk, VA - Individuals who invested with WexTrust Capital are unlikely to recover much of what they put into the company's real estate deals and other investments, a New York securities lawyer predicted. "I don't know how much will be there, but I expect a huge shortfall," Jacob Zamansky, the lawyer, told about 100 people seeking information about the Chicago-based company and its...

Sandy Springs, GA - A second incident of vandalism involving an anti-Semitic symbol has been reported near The Epstein School, a Jewish day school in Sandy Springs. The swastika was found painted on a stop sign at the intersection of Bridgewood Valley Road and Colewood Way. Last month, a swastika was found painted on a speed hump on a road near the school, as was reported at that time here on...