Jerusalem - The Health Ministry confirmed on Wednesday it had launched an investigation after receiving complaints from parents about Similac-brand infant formula. Parents reported their children had began vomiting after being fed Similac's 'Top 3' milk substitute. The ministry said it had received four complaints so far; one from the parents of twins and two others after their infants...

West Hempstead, NY - He’s a miracle child — the most grievously wounded of the boys who survived the massacre at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav in March – but although he lived when eight other boys did not, Naftali Sheetrit, 14, faces a long road to recovery. West Hempstead was one stop along that road, where he spent last Shabbat with family before continuing on to Indiana. There, on Thursday...

Hackensack, NJ - A former Olympic ice skater-turned-coach and two of her students are suing a Hackensack ice rink, alleging they were barred from the facility because they hold Israeli citizenship. In a lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Bergen County, former Olympic skater Galit Chait said she and her students were told to find another training facility by two associates of the Ice House...

Lod, Israel - Vandals hurled a Molotov cocktail into a synagogue in the city of Lod today, sparking a small fire. No injuries were reported, but the structure sustained minor damage. Police have launched an investigation into the incident, and have yet to determine whether the motive appears criminal or nationalist in nature. An initial investigation revealed that the perpetrators opened...

New York - A group of alleged survivors of sexual abuse from strictly Orthodox backgrounds and victim advocates have joined together to encourage Orthodox victims to seek justice in New York’s secular courts, rather than quietly within their communities. The new group, Survivors for Justice, will also lobby the state legislature to pass a long-pending bill to extend the statute of...

Glendale, WI - The City of Glendale has filed a civil lawsuit in an attempt to clarify whether the owners of a building on Green Bay Ave. intend to use it as an office or for religious services. Ohr Ha Torah Inc. applied for an occupancy permit for the building at 7020 N. Green Bay Ave. but have said they intend to use it for teaching, counseling, prayer and services - zoning uses not allowed...

New York - Stocks ended lower after a volatile session in which the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point. The final hour of trading didn't disappoint with its wild swings today: After being up more than 200 points in the final 15 minutes, the Dow ended down more than 80 points. The Fed cut its target for the federal-funds rate to 1 percent, the lowest level in four...

Israel - A researcher says hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are descended from Jews who were forced to convert to Islam. Zvi Mesini, who wrote a book on the subject, has been assisting four Palestinians from the Hebron Hills who claim their ancestors were Jewish. The four say their families removed mezuzahs from their doors in order to avoid harassment by neighbors. One of the...

Washington - Federal Reserve policymakers cut a key interest rate by a half-point, as expected, pushing the federal funds rate down to 1 percent. The worst financial crisis in 70 years has forced the Fed to employ all the weapons in its arsenal—including cutting interest rates to near historic lows—to try to keep the country from plunging into a deep recession. The cut puts the Fed's...

Baltimore, MD - An overnight break-in at the Gold Trading Center in the 7100-block of Liberty Road has turned out to be much more than a break-in. When owner Zakhar Trutsi opened up for business this morning, he noticed a mess in the back of the store. His big safe, although they tried to burn it open, was still standing, and a series of racial and ethnic slurs were spraypainted throughout...

Postville, IA - Iowa’s Labor Commissioner assessed civil penalties against Agriprocessors, Inc. for repeated violations of Iowa’s wage laws from January 1, 2006 to June 30, 2008. “Once again, Agriprocessors has demonstrated a complete disregard for Iowa Law,” stated Iowa Labor Commissioner Dave Neil. “This continued course of violations is a black mark on Iowa’s business...

Berlin, Germany - Vandals painted a swastika on a memorial dedicated to Jews deported from Berlin during the Nazi period. The JTA is reporting that police said today that the memorial at the site of the former Jewish old age home on Grosse Hamburger Street in Berlin was defaced by unknown perpetrators. The graffiti has been removed. The site also was vandalized in September with...

New York, NY - A new online collection of millions of historic Jewish records is helping families trace their personal history. The documents on Ancestry.com include Schindler's List — the names of almost 2,000 Jews working for a German who employed them to save them. Many of the 26 million documents are online for the first time — from photographs and immigration data to memorials...

Toronto - York University has decided to end a 34-year practice of cancelling classes on Jewish holidays in part to reflect the growing diversity at the booming Toronto campus. It's believed to have been the only public university in North America to close down campus-wide for the Jewish holidays each fall: Two days of Rosh Hashana and one day for Yom Kippur. York officials say they were...

Chicago, IL - At Chicagoland Jewish High School, “What I’m seeing is, new names are popping up all the time,” says Bruce Scher, the academic dean and director of college counseling. “Outside of the stereotypical or the standard colleges that already have strong Jewish populations, we’re seeing a lot of other schools recognize the value and recognize the contribution that these...