Ashkelon, Israel - Construction of a rocket-safe ward at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon looks farther away than ever: Deputy health minister Yaakov Litzman of United Torah Judaism today vetoed the thought of moving ancient graves found on the site earmarked for the protected facility. "I will not allow graves to be moved in Israel, nor will the Chief Rabbinate allow it," Litzman said at a...

Monroe, NY - As far as most people knew, Gregg Wenzel was working as a political adviser for the U.S. State Department in Ethiopia when he was killed there in a car crash in 2003. But after repeated requests by his parents back home in Orange County, the government has lifted a veil of secrecy to reveal the more sensitive nature of Wenzel’s overseas mission: he was a spy for the Central...

New Jersey - Incumbent New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has won the state's Democratic gubernatorial nomination and will seek his second term in November. Corzine easily defeated three little-known competitors Tuesday in a low-key primary election. The 62-year-old will have a tougher challenge in November, As former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie has won the Republican nomination against Bogota...

New York - As members of the New York State Senate ponder whether to hold a vote on legalizing gay marriage before the current legislative session expires, an exclusive NY1 survey of all 62 state Senators suggests that supporters of the bill are facing an uphill battle in their fight to get it passed this month. Twenty lawmakers tell NY1 that they would vote "yes" on the bill, with 15 either...

New York - A meeting convened by Agudath Israel of America on June 2 brought together city government officials and administrators of yeshivos throughout New York City to discuss the proposed elimination of a city program than benefits needy parents in the city’s Orthodox community to the tune of over $15 million a year. The program provides child care vouchers to parents of school-age...

Williamsburg, NY - In the course of a conversation in a kosher pizza shop, Isaac Abraham whips out a pen and paper and draws a layout of Flushing Avenue in Williamsburg to show how the rerouting of traffic from the closed Brooklyn-Queens Expressway 20 years ago was harmful to the area. “Heavy trucks ruptured the foundations of the synagogue and schools,” he recalls. “It was impossible...

Monsey, NY - A yeshiva where a cow was slaughtered in the backyard last month agreed today to pay a fine to settle charges that the act violated town regulations. The town agreed to accept the $5,000 fine to settle the charges against the Bobover Yeshiva in Ramapo Court today. Town Attorney Michael Klein noted that the fine was the maximum amount that the municipality could levy against the...

White Plains, NY - Four New Yorkers arrested in an alleged plot to bomb a synagogue and shoot down military planes were indicted today on new charges, including attempts to use weapons of mass destruction. The four, arrested May 20 in New York, face several life sentences if convicted, the federal prosecutor's office said. The eight-count indictment was returned today in federal court in...

Bnei Brak, Israel - The Transportation Ministry committee dealing with special bus lines for the ultra-Orthodox population, the so-called Kosher lines, has wrapped itself in total secrecy in advance of submiting its recommendations to the High Court of Justice in a few weeks. But with the public hearing phase ending, preliminary details of the materials presented to the committee in preparation...

Postville, IA - A former manager at a northeast Iowa kosher slaughterhouse is asking that his trial be moved after the recent anniversary of an immigration raid at the plant renewed media interest in the case. Former Agriprocessors manager Sholom Rubashkin asks in a motion filed Tuesday that his trial be moved to St. Paul, Minn., or Chicago because he can't get a fair trial in Iowa. It's the...

Poland - Several hundred personal items and objects of everyday use belonging to Holocaust victims at the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz have been discovered. The discovery was made during conservation work near Crematorium No. 3. The find includes medication, jewels, cosmetics, family mementoes, toys, baby bottles and dummies. Many of them have inscriptions in Hungarian as all the objects...

Washington - The United States intends to invite Iranian officials to embassy festivities celebrating American independence, the US State Department confirmed Tuesday. The move is consistent with recent efforts by President Barack Obama to reach out to the Iranians to work towards resolving the longstanding tension between the two countries on a host of issues, particularly Tehran's nuclear...

Lakewood, NJ - A 38-year-old Lakewood man accused of attempted murder in a baseball-bat attack on a rabbi has been deemed competent to stand trial. Superior Court Judge Francis R. Hodgson ruled that Lee Tucker of Ventura Drive is mentally fit to stand trial on the attempted murder charge and another charge of possessing a weapon. Tucker is accused of severely beating Rabbi Mordechai...

Israel - Rabbis, Yesha Council members, and government ministers are coming together in order to condemn recent settler violence against Palestinians. "What happened yesterday is not violation of law and order – it's much worse," said Rabbi Menachem Fruman, addressing the torching of a Palestinian field in Samaria by what he referred to as "hooligans." "Targeting Palestinians and their...

Fallsburg, NY - Fallsburg’s former fire chief cradled his eight-month-old son in his arms and kissed his sobbing fiance on Tuesday after he was sentenced to prison in a conspiracy to burn down a bungalow. James Smith, 34, a longtime volunteer firefighter, was sentenced to 2-to-6 years on the top charge of arson after admitting to encouraging his uncle, described as mentally disabled, to burn...