Yeshiva World News

U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren (District of Kansas) has issued the following statement a short while ago regarding Ted Floyd AKA: Natan Levi:

Theodore Riley Floyd, 28, Lakewood, N.J., pleaded guilty Monday to one count of making a false statement on an application for a passport and using the passport to assume another man’s identity.

Floyd was indicted Feb. 6, 2008, under the name John Doe also known as Nathaniel James Levi. Since then, he has been identified as Theodore Riley Floyd.

In his plea, Floyd admitted that on March 28, 2002, he submitted an application for a U.S. passport to the Corporate Hills U.S. Post Office in Wichita, Kan. He submitted the application using the name and Social Security number of Nathaniel James Levi, who is a deceased veteran of the United States Navy. Floyd received the passport and used it to help him assume Levi’s identity for fraudulent purposes.

“Our office has received several inquiries from members of an Hasidic community in New Jersey who accepted Mr. Floyd while he was using the stolen identity,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren. “But those events took place after the crime to which he is pleading guilty. Other authorities will have to determine whether any crimes were committed in their jurisdictions.”

Floyd, who is being held in federal custody in Kansas, is set for sentencing July 14. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.

Melgren commended the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State, the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson for their work on the case.

New York City Council Members James S. Oddo (R- Staten Island/Brooklyn) and Simcha Felder (D- Brooklyn) called on the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a new rule requiring those who make cuts into public streets as part of the construction of one, two, or three family dwellings to restore the pavement back to its original condition from curb to curb.  The Council Members introduced legislation in the City Council that would accomplish this goal (Intro. 680) but it is a change that DOT can make more quickly through internal rulemaking.  The Council Members urged DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan to make this rule change a priority, though they vowed to pursue passage of the legislation if DOT fails to act. 

Councilman Oddo said, “Despite promises that changes would come, we still see streets dug up and incorrectly or incompletely repaired by contractors.  This is unacceptable and it is a quality-of-life issue for all New Yorkers.  It’s a fundamental and common sense notion that should you break something you should be required to fix it.  Our legislation would require just that.  We urge DOT to support this idea and immediately act to use their rulemaking authority to pass such a requirement.  If DOT fails to act we will continue to pursue our legislative authority to mandate it.  The streets of New York might not be paved with gold, but they are paved with taxpayer dollars.  This requirement would ensure that taxpayer dollars do not go to waste when contractors incompletely fix what they have dug up.” 

Oddo and Felder took a tour of two sites to demonstrate an example of an incorrectly repaired street on Rockland Avenue and a correctly repaired street on North Railroad Avenue in New Dorp.  The difference is striking.  The incorrectly repaired street looks like a patchwork job that provides a bumpy and bone-jarring ride for motorists who drive over it while the correctly repaired street provides a smooth surface.  If Oddo and Felder’s proposal were enacted, it would no longer be permissible to do a poor job like the one done on Rockland Avenue.           

Councilman Felder said, “Cutting up city streets may be a necessary inconvenience, but the potholes and sink-ins that result from careless re-pavings should not be. The City needs to hold people responsible for sloppy work.”

On February 28, 2008, Oddo sent a letter to Commissioner Sadik-Khan urging her to adopt this policy.  He has not received a response to this request. 

According to the Associated Press, the Chasam Sofer Memorial (an underground burial shrine at the site of the Kever), was vandalized by three teenagers. A police spokesperson told the AP that three teens threw stones and broke the glass covering early Sunday morning. They were detained and then later released by police. If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to two years in jail.

Thousands of people from around the world come to pray at the Kever of the Chasam Sofer ZATZAL, buried in the center of Bratislava, on the bank of the Danube river. The dignified, newly – renovated mausoleum is protected from the weather, and offers glass-enclosed, separate access for kohanim.

A modern Jewish memorial, containing the Chasam Sofer’s Kever, and those of many of his associates and family is situated underground below Bratislava Castle at the left bank of the Danube. The nearby train station is named after him.

The preservation of these graves has a curious history. The Jewish cemetery in Bratislava was confiscated during the regime of Josef Tiso in 1943 to build a roadway. Negotiations with the regime enabled the community to preserve the section of the cemetery including the Chasam Sofer’s grave, enclosed in concrete, below the surface of the new road. The regime complied either (according to one story) as a consequence of a large bribe, foreign pressure (according to another) or (according to yet another) for fear of a curse if the graves were destroyed.

After the independence of Slovakia in 1992, new negotiations were undertaken to restore public access to the preserved graves. In the mid-1990s the International Committee for Preservation of Gravesites of Geonai Pressburg was formed to support and oversee relocation of tram tracks and building of a mausoleum. In 1999 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the then mayor of Bratislava Jozef Moravcik, Chairman of the Committee Romi Cohn and Chairman of the Bratislava Jewish Religious Community Peter Salner. Construction of the mausoleum was completed after overcoming numerous technical and religious issues and opened on July 8, 2002.

(Dov Gordon – YWN)

Rebates from the 2008 economic-stimulus package will go out earlier than planned, with the first payments to start Monday, President Bush said, reiterating that the infusion of cash will help lift the U.S. economy out of its ongoing slowdown. The money is being sent to taxpayers earlier than scheduled. The payments were originally slated to begin May 2.

Here is President Bush’s remarks:

THE PRESIDENT:

Good morning.

It’s obvious our economy is in a slowdown. Fortunately, we recognized the signs early and took action. I signed an economic growth package that will provide tax rebates to millions of American families and workers to boost consumer spending.

On Monday, the Treasury Department will begin delivering the first of these tax rebates by direct deposit. During the first week alone nearly 7.7 million Americans will receive their tax rebates electronically. Then on May 9th, the IRS will begin mailing checks to millions more across America.

By this summer, the Treasury Department expects to have sent rebates to about 130 million American households. These rebates will provide eligible Americans with payments of up to $600 a person, $1,200 for couples, and $300 per child.

If you’ve already filed your income tax return your rebate is on the way. Even if you don’t owe any income taxes you may still be eligible for a check, but you need to file a form with the IRS. And it’s not too late to do so. Now, you can find out information as to how to proceed by calling your local IRS office, or go to the IRS website.

We want to make sure everyone who’s eligible for a check gets one on a timely basis. This money is going to help Americans offset the high prices we’re seeing at the gas pump and at the grocery store, and it will also give our economy a boost to help us pull out of this economic slowdown.

I’m pleased that the Treasury Department has worked quickly to get the money into the hands of the American people. Starting Monday, the effects of the stimulus will begin to reach millions of households across our country.

Thank you very much.

(Rabbi Linchos Pipschutz / YW-112)

Federal, state and local police are still investigating the devastating fire at the Miami Beach Chabad Shul. The Shul’s Sefer Torah was stolen in the incident as well – which took place on Chol Hamoed (Tuesday) – as was first reported HERE on YWN.

FBI Dir. Robert Mueller said to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, a member of the house judiciary committee, in Washington DC., that the FBI will investigate the fires that damaged all Miami Beach synagogues in the past six months as hate crimes.

The Shul’s Rov, Rabbi Zev Katz told CBS4 that he believed the fire was intentionally set, but Miami Beach fire officials have not confirmed it.

Meanwhile, the Tefillos were held over Shabbos and Yom Tov on the lawn of the Chabad Shul, located at 2401 Pinetree Dr, and Archbishop John C. Favalora met with Rabbi Zev Katz earlier Friday – offering a donation of thousands on behalf of the Archdiocese of Miami.

On December 13, 2007, a large blaze ripped through the Sky-Lake Synagogue on NW 183rd Street in North Miami Beach (reported HERE on YWN), and on October 8, 2007, an arson fire caused major damage to the Miami Beach Community Kollel (reported HERE on YWN).

(CORRECTION: YWN has originally reported that the Sefer Torah was destroyed in the blaze, but was actually stolen. Our apologies.)

(Dov Gordon – YWN)