Yeshiva World News

The financial crisis has started to take a serious toll on our Jewish brethren. Many people have lost their jobs, and people are starting to suffer. Boruch Hashem, there are many organizations trying to find people jobs as quickly as possible. Ordinary folks in Shuls are getting together with one another and trying to find the unfortunate ones jobs, while others are assiting them with loans and others with the much needed Chizuk.

Sometimes, it takes tragedy R”L, or hard times such as these, to bring out the best of Yidden, put our differences aside, and work together as a true “Klall Yisroel”.

On that note, YWN has decided to make all job listings in the YWN Classifieds Section FREE OF CHARGE - for at least the next two months. This will allow those looking for work, and those offering work to hopefully find a match.

If you are looking for work, or have a position open for someone, please click on the link below and put your information in!

The Rambam says that the highest degree of Tzedakah is helping a person find a job so they can support themselves!

Please forward this to as many people as possible, so we can all work together and help those who are not as fortunante as others.

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/classifieds/

(Yehuda Drudgestein – YWN)

Some members of the NYC Council are concerned that cutting the Police Department’s budget would affect its ability to fight crime.

The council on Monday debated the merits of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to slash next year’s police class in order to help balance the budget during the current fiscal crisis.

Many spoke out against eliminating the class of January 2009, which would reduce the force by more than 1,000 officers. That would bring the department to its lowest staffing level since the early 1990s.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told the council that the department would continue to work to keep crime levels low.

“I don’t want to reduce any and I don’t want to lose any, but this is the world we live in,” Kelly said. “We are told this is the economic crisis of a lifetime, and we are going to have to deal with it.”

But some councilmembers said they fear that fewer police officers would mean a spike in crime.

“There is no quicker way to hurt an economy then to allow the crime rate to start creeping back up,” said Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. “And yet that’s what’s happening.”

The NYPD cuts are expected to save the city $45 million this year and $167 million next year.

(Source: NY1)

Two Israelis convicted of drug trafficking were sentenced to death Tuesday by a Thai court, Ynet reports. The two men plan to appeal the sentence. The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem confirmed the report.

The two Israelis, 34-year-old Vladimir Akronik and 37-year-old Alon Mahluf, were detained in the vicinity of Bangkok in possession of 23,000 ecstasy pills about a year ago. Thai media reported that the two arrived in Thailand from Europe and were detained after authorities received information about them from American officials.

Alex Avidan, who maintains contact with Israeli prisoners in Thailand, told Ynet: “Vladimir arrived in Thailand as an innocent backpacker, and a week later found himself imprisoned on drug trafficking charges. He told me he was entrapped. He said he arrived in Thailand in order to backpack, and someone asked him to hand over a key to someone else. He admitted that he was foolish.”

Avidan said that the death penalty in Thailand is very rare, noting that the gravest offence in the country is the abduction of minors, followed by drug trafficking.

“The maximal penalty imposed on drug traffickers is indeed a death sentence, but I know Israelis who are in jail for drug trade offences,” he said. Turning his attention to conditions at prison, Avidan said: “The policy of prisons all across the Far East is that inmates get a cement floor and 180 grams of rice to eat. Everything depends on outside help.”

Avidan also noted that the local Jewish community, headed by Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Nechemiah Wilhelm, was assisting the two men.

Long Island Rail Road riders will have to brace themselves for another day of messed up service. Though MTA repair crews have been working nonstop since Sunday to fix damaged rails and switches after a train derailed just west of Jamaica Station – forcing numerous cancellations during the morning and evening rush hours and delays.

Newsday reports that LIRR President Helena Williams asked customers to hang on, “We have significant repair work to do. We are asking, again, for our customers to have patience. We know that that’s a lot to ask our customers, but they are a good New York, sturdy breed.” Newsday also described the extent of the damage:

The accident took place Sunday afternoon when the three rear cars of a 10-car train derailed – one of them jackknifing across three separate tracks and tearing up dirt and rubble in its path. The two rearmost cars needed to be cut apart at their coupling point with torches, and wooden blocks secured the jackknifed train at various points to keep it from tipping over. A crane was required to put the train back on track.
WCBS 2 says that federal investigators are also looking into the derailment, since it’s the second incident at the station in days (two trains bumped last week) and third this year (a derailment in March).

The following is an alert released by the MTA:

MTA Long Island Rail Road customers are advised to anticipate schedule changes that include canceled trains and delays in the morning as a result of a derailment that occurred in Jamaica on Sunday.

Over 200 LIRR employees have been working round-the-clock to re-rail the three train cars on the west end of Jamaica Station.   The work also includes repair to the damaged switches and track caused by the derailment.  Currently, three tracks remain out of service due to the accident.

“We are grateful to our customers for their patience during this time,” said LIRR President Helena Williams. “The Monday evening rush hour went smoothly under the circumstances. Our LIRR crews have been working nonstop to repair damaged rail and switches so that we can resume normal operations as soon as is safely possible. We are making progress and will keep our customers updated on our efforts.”

The Tuesday AM Rush service plan includes cancellation of 12 westbound AM rush trains.  As a result, there will be residual delays from added station stops and not all scheduled connections will be available at Jamaica Station to Penn Station, Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn, Hunterspoint Avenue, and Long Island City.   LIRR station personnel will be available at Jamaica to assist customers with service information. The modified plan also includes service changes for the eastbound AM Rush, in particular 9 of the 15 eastbound reverse peak trains from Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, will be canceled.

Westbound AM Peak Service:

The following westbound AM Rush trains will be canceled Tuesday morning in the modified service plan:
6:25 AM train from Hicksville, scheduled to arrive in Penn Station at 7:11 AM
6:26 AM train from Massapequa Park, scheduled to arrive in Penn Station at 7:22 AM
6:57 AM train from Freeport, scheduled to arrive in Penn Station at 7:40 AM.
7:23 AM train from Hempstead, scheduled to arrive in Flatbush Avenue at 8:20 AM
7:29 AM train from Freeport, scheduled to arrive in Penn Station at 8:13 AM
7:40 AM train from Ronkonkoma, scheduled to arrive in Flatbush Avenue at 9:01 AM
7:43 AM train from Merrick, scheduled to arrive in Penn Station at 8:31 AM
8:03 AM train from Long Beach, scheduled to arrive in Penn Station at 8:54 AM
8:03 AM train from Valley Stream, scheduled to arrive in Penn Station at 8:42 AM
8:38 AM train from Long Beach, scheduled to arrive in Flatbush Avenue at 9:26 AM
 

The following trains will terminate in Jamaica Tuesday morning:
7:12 AM train from Hempstead, scheduled to arrive in Penn Station at 8:03 AM
7:16 AM train from West Hempstead, scheduled to arrive in Flatbush Ave. at 8:03 AM

Eastbound (Reverse Peak) Service:
LIRR eastbound, reverse peak service from Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn will be extremely limited — with one passenger train departing the Brooklyn terminal per hour.  Customers should  consider using Penn Station reverse peak service, which is expected to operate at regularly scheduled times;  however customers should anticipate delays en-route.

The following reverse peak trains will operate from Flatbush Avenue on Tuesday morning:
5:29 AM train from Flatbush Avenue, scheduled to arrive in Long Beach at 6:22 AM
5:52 AM train from Flatbush Avenue, scheduled to arrive in West Hempstead at 6:38 AM
6:48 AM train from Flatbush Avenue, scheduled to arrive in Long Beach at 7:36 AM
7:51 AM train from Flatbush Avenue, scheduled to arrive in Hempstead at 8:38 AM
8:37 AM train from Flatbush Avenue, scheduled to arrive in Hempstead at 9:26 AM
9:36 AM train from Flatbush Avenue, scheduled to arrive in Hempstead at 10:28 AM

(Eli Gefen – YWN Queens Ops’ Desk)

President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert bid each other farewell on Monday, expressing confidence in an eventual Mideast peace deal that won’t materialize on either of their watches.

Bush and Olmert met for more than an hour at the White House as their time in office winds to a close. Bush’s two terms end Jan. 20. Olmert plans to resign amid corruption charges and will step down after a successor is chosen on Feb. 10.

Earlier Monday, the Israeli leader had breakfast with Rice and national security adviser Stephen Hadley and met with Vice President Dick Cheney. Bush, Olmert, first lady Laura Bush and the Israeli prime minister’s wife, Aliza, dined privately at the White House.

The following are their public remarks to the media:

PRESIDENT BUSH: I am pleased to welcome my friend, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, back to the Oval Office.  And I thank you for bringing your wife to have dinner tonight with Laura and me.  I’m looking forward to it.

We’ve been through a lot together during our time in office.  We strongly believe that Israel will benefit by having a Palestinian state, a democracy on her border that works for peace.  And, Prime Minister, that vision is alive because of you.  And I thank you for your steadfast support for peace.

And it’s not easy.  It’s not easy to try to change the paradigm, and I understand that.  But one thing is for certain — you’ve kept your word.  And in international politics, that’s important.  And I want to thank you for the friendship, and thank you for your vision.  And I just want you to know that I believe that vision is alive and needs to be worked on.

And again, I welcome you.  Appreciate you coming.

PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: Thank you very much, Mr. President.  I’m delighted to have this opportunity to express again the deep gratitude we all have to you, personally, as a human being, as a friend, as a courageous leader who has helped Israel so much over the period since you were President of the United States of America.

I will never forget that you have removed one of the most threatening strategic dangers from Israel on the east side, in Iraq.  And this is a great achievement that makes life much better for many people in our part of the world, particularly for us and for our neighbors, as well.

You have set forth in motion the Annapolis process, which I was very proud to take part in.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes, sir.

PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: It continues with your guidance and support and inspiration.  And this is very important, because as you say, a two-state solution is the only possible way to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.

So, Mr. President, on behalf of the people of Israel, I want to thank you.  The importance of your leadership is greatly appreciated in our country.  And I’m sure that when the history books will be written, the contributions that you made to the safety and security of many people will be greatly appreciated.

Personally, I want to thank you for your friendship on behalf of my wife, Aliza, and myself.  And I’m so happy and proud that I had an opportunity to speak of it to you before you leave this great place and before I leave my office.  And I’m sure that we will continue our friendship for many years to come.

Thank you very much.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, sir.  Thank you.

(Yehuda Drudgestein – YWN)

President George W. Bush has granted pardons to 14 individuals and commuted the prison sentences of two others, The Associated Press learned Monday.

The new round of White House pardons are Bush’s first since March and come less than two months before he will end his presidency. The crimes committed by those on the list include drug offenses, income tax evasion, bank embezzlement and violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Bush has been stingy during his time in office about handing out such reprieves.

Including these actions, he has granted a total of 171 and eight commutations. That’s less than half as many as Presidents Clinton or Reagan issued during their time in office. Both were two-term presidents.

On the latest pardon list were:

Leslie Owen Collier of Charleston, Mo.

Milton Kirk Cordes of Rapid City, S.D.

Richard Micheal Culpepper of Mahomet, Ill.

Brenda Jean Dolenz-Helmer of Fort Worth, Texas.

Andrew Foster Harley of Falls Church, Va.

Obie Gene Helton of Rossville, Ga.

Carey C. Hice Sr. of Travelers Rest, S.C.

Geneva Yvonne Hogg of Jacksonville, Fla.

William Hoyle McCright Jr. of Midland, Texas.

Paul Julian McCurdy of Sulphur, Okla.

Robert Earl Mohon Jr. of Grant, Ala.

Ronald Alan Mohrhoff of Los Angeles.

Daniel Figh Pue III of Conroe, Texas.

Orion Lynn Vick of White Hall, Ark.

Bush also commuted the prison sentences of John Edward Forte of North Brunswick, N.J., and James Russell Harris of Detroit.

Under the Constitution, the president’s power to issue pardons is absolute and cannot be overruled.

Some high-profile individuals, such as Michael Milken, are seeking a pardon on securities fraud charges. Two politicians convicted of public corruption — former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif., and four-term Democratic Louisiana Gov. Edwin W. Edwards — are asking Bush to shorten their prison terms.

One hot topic of discussion related to pardons is whether Bush might decide to issue pre-emptive pardons before he leaves office to government employees who authorized or engaged in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Some constitutional scholars and human rights groups want the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama to investigate possible war crimes.

If Bush were to pardon anyone involved, it would provide protection against criminal charges, particularly for people who were following orders or trying to protect the nation with their actions. But it would also be highly controversial.

At the same time, Obama advisers say there is little — if any — chance that his administration would bring criminal charges.