Philadelphia, PA - Students at the University of Pennsylvania are celebrating the Philadelphia Phillies victory against the Tampa Bay Rays to win Major League Baseball’s top title. Adding its own touch to the festivities, the Chabad-Lubavitch House at the University of Pennsylvania will throw a baseball-themed Shabbat kiddush Friday night. With a menu of ballpark favorites like hot dogs and...

Phoenix, AZ - Silent Witness officials said they are upping the cash reward for information that leads to an arrest in the murder of an 84-year-old Jewish Phoenix businessman. On September 2, Irving Shuman was found dead in his North Central Phoenix office, As was reported at that time here on Vos Iz Neias.  Sgt. Paul Penzone said when describing the murder, "This was just an extreme...

Washington, DC - The government sent out more than $1 billion in fraudulent refunds last year and offered this explanationtoday for the bad checks in the mail: The Internal Revenue Service has too few resources to pursue every tax fraud case. IRS investigators never even looked at an estimated $742 million in fraudulent refunds, according to a report by the Treasury Department office that...

Jerusalem - The Indonesian Rescue and Emergency Organization, run by that nation's second-largest Islamic movement, Persyarikatan Muhammadiyah, signed an agreement Wednesday night in Tel Aviv with Israel's first-response organization, Magen David Adom (MDA). The deal was penned in the shadow of serious jihadist threats against Indonesia, which is home to the world's largest Muslim...

Los Angeles, CA - This morning more than 50 people where protesting in front of the LA Times building, to demand that they release a tape of a private going-away party for a Palestinian college professor in 2003 that was attended by Barack Obama. [reported here by VIN News] LA Times has said for reasons to protect it's source, it will not release the tape. See below video of protest. ...

New York - U.S. stocks had another wild swing in the final 15 minutes of trading that pumped up the Dow from a gain of about 50 points to nearly 200 points as traders largely shrugged off this morning's GDP report that showed the economy is shrinking. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended up 189 points, or more than 2 percent, after shedding 74 points in the previous session, when the market...

New York, NY - A rapidly increasing number of people are complaining about getting harassed and abused by bill collectors. Nearly 71,000 people filed such complaints with the Federal Trade Commission last year, roughly double the number in 2003. In addition, more than 14,000 complained to the Better Business Bureau. It's become a big problem in New York City, where officials say that...

Petersburg, VA - A convict has pleaded guilty to charges in an international plot he orchestrated from a federal prison cell in Petersburg aimed at looting the Swiss bank accounts of Holocaust victims. John Kenneth Leighnor Jr., 49, is facing a maximum of 26 years in prison when he's sentenced by U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer on Feb. 3. Trim, athletic-looking and wearing a...

Postville, IA - Federal prosecutors have arrested Sholom Rubashkin, former chief executive officer and vice president at Agriprocessors and son of company founder Aaron Rubashkin, on a criminal complaint that alleges the man conspired in immigration-related offenses. The criminal complaint is the first against any high-level member of Agriprocessors management and comes in the wake of a...

New York City - In a continuing effort to reduce the number of rats in New York City, the Health Department today announced the launch of the Rat Information Portal - a one-stop resource website for New Yorkers' rat prevention needs. The new site, available at www.nyc.gov/rats provides easy access to information on how to control rats on properties and in communities. The portal was developed...

Schagen, Netherlands - The massive central door in the side of Noah's Ark was thrown open — you could say it was the first time in 4,000 years — drawing a crowd of curious pilgrims and townsfolk to behold the wonder. Of course, it's only a replica of the biblical Ark, built by Dutch creationist Johan Huibers. Reckoning by the old biblical measurements, Johan's fully functional ark is...

Khirbet Qeiyafa, Israel - Overlooking the verdant Valley of Elah, where the Bible says David toppled Goliath, archaeologists are unearthing a 3,000-year-old fortified city that could reshape views of the period when David ruled over the Israelites. Five lines on pottery uncovered here appear to be the oldest Hebrew text ever found and are likely to have a major impact on knowledge about the...

Borough Park, NY - Exclusive Interview with Glenn Nocera who is running in the 21 district for Senate on the GOP ticket against Democratic incumbent Kevin Parker. The NY Senate District 21 includes Borough Park, Flatbush, Prospect Park, And Kensigton See Below Interview 1. I was born in Brooklyn New York, to the son of an Italian Immigrant on January 10, 1975 . I am the youngest of 3...

Minneapolis, MN - The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has sent a painting by cubist Fernand Leger back to the heirs of a Jewish art collector in France, after concluding it had been stolen by the Nazis during World War II. The museum had owned the 1911 Leger painting "Smoke Over Rooftops" since 1961. But after a decade of detective work, the institute decided to return it to the heirs of noted...

Saudi Arabia - Saudi King Abdullah has green-lighted Israel's participation in a meeting at the United Nations next month to discuss his initiative to promote interfaith dialogue, marking the first time the Jewish state has been invited to a conference held under the auspices of the kingdom. Official Israeli representatives were not invited to the previous interfaith dialogue conference in...