New York - Major kashrus agencies in the U.S. are moving swiftly to assuage fears that kosher products will be laced with some of the toxins that have made nearly 50,000 Chinese children ill. The agencies that certify several hundred Chinese companies are planning to require proof of verified safety programs at each of the plants, according to Rabbi Moshe Elefant, Chief Operating Officer of the...

Where is Steven Spielberg when you need him? That's what Moshe Tsitsaushivili, a suspected diamond thief, wants to know after learning today that he may be wanted for one of the biggest diamond heists in the history of Sidney, Australia. Advertisement Already suspected of stealing diamonds in five U.S. states, [reported by VIN News] the 41-year-old jeweler buried his head in his hands this...

Buffalo, NY - An investment company that allegedly defrauded investors in real estate transactions has been shuttered through a court order obtained by the state Attorney General’s office. The order is said to be the first of its kind in the region, according to the AG’s office. According to court documents, East Coast Capital LLC and its operator, Norman Dansker, bought more than 50...

Jerusalem, Isreal - Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger has called on defendants going before a judge to "stop sporting a kippa just for show."  The rabbi made the comment in a Rosh Hashana ceremony in Jerusalem today attended by past and present police commissioners, as well as Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter. Metzger spoke of the phenomenon in which newly defendants choose to appear for their...

Staten Island, NY - A tasteless Nazi stunt at a Staten Island parks office cost one man his job and will lead to disciplinary action against his two cohorts, a Parks Department spokeswoman said. Nick Johnson, who wore a motorcycle helmet with a swastika in front of a Jewish co-worker, was fired after a city investigation last week. Charlie Ekonomakos, who sported a Hitler-style mustache, and...

Minneapolis, MN - A Jewish worker for a Northwest Airlines carrier claims she was fired for refusing to work on the Sabbath. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Mesaba Airlines, which operates under the name Northwest Airlink The woman said she was fired a year ago for refusing to work past sundown on a Friday night at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International...

Albany, NY - It was at a Hebrew school on New Scotland Avenue and a Community Center off Whitehall Road where Albany police said Rabbi Y, 28, of Loudonville had sexual contact with a 13-year-old boy. Albany Public Safety Officer James Miller said, "The victim along with some of the other classmates were talking about what happened. Somebody overheard that, anonymously called into the New York...

New York - The Dow recovered 487 points on Tuesday to close today down right around where it started as the Dow lost 20 points, to close at 10,831. the turn around in the market in the past 2 days, comes as the Senate has passed a revised bailout bill Wednesday night, which could set the stage for another showdown in the House of Representatives, which already defeated an earlier version of...

New York, NY - Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to try to reverse the term-limits law he had long supported so he can seek a third term next year and help the city emerge from financial turmoil, a person close to the mayor said. Bloomberg made the decision over the weekend and will announce it Thursday, according to the person, who has been briefed on the matter but spoke on condition of...

Santa Maria, CA - Vandals left swastikas and other racial slurs in red spray paint on the northbound side of the Santa Maria levee just hours before the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies say it’s not the first time something like this has happened.  Just four days ago on Friday, the department sent a crew to clean up similar graffiti in...