Yeshiva World News

[PHOTO LINK BELOW] Approximately 300 religious leaders, Jewish community representatives and members of the service attended the NYPD pre-Passover briefing held Tuesday at Police Headquarters ahead of the Passover week beginning March 30. The annual event overviewed security preparations which police will take around synagogues and in Jewish neighborhoods for the coming Passover season, as well as provided attendees with an intelligence briefing on terrorist attacks and plots targeting mass transit systems.

“In addition to our cooperation with the FBI, DHS, and other federal, state and city agencies, we rely on an alert public to help keep the city safe,” Commissioner Kelly said. “You can rest assured the Police Department will be doing everything in its power to ensure a safe and blessed Passover.”

Next week the Police Department will deploy extra resources to precincts with large Jewish communities, and add foot posts, visits by uniformed officers to synagogues, outreach by community affairs officers, and increased anti-crime units to deter theft, in addition to vehicular patrols dedicated to houses of worship. Some locations will be visited by Hercules teams of heavily armed officers, whose function is to deter terrorists and any related reconnaissance.

Following remarks by Chief Chaplain Rabbi Dr. Alvin Kass, Director of Intelligence Analysis Mitch Silber provided an overview of terrorist attacks and plots targeting mass transit systems in London and New York.

In September 2009, the NYPD working with the FBI Joint Terrorist Task Force disrupted a plot by Queens resident Najibullah Zazi and others to detonate bombs on New York City subways. Their bomb-making material was similar to that used in Al Qaeda’s attacks on the London subway system in 2005.

The NYPD instituted randomized bag checks at subway stations in the week following the “7/7” attacks of that year. In addition, police officers make daily sweeps in which they stop and check subway cars, while other teams visually inspect the underwater tunnels which link Manhattan to the outer boroughs and New Jersey, Commissioner Kelly said.

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(YWN Desk – NYC / NYPD)

The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors Wednesday approved management’s request to move forward with its five-day delivery proposal and stop Saturday service.

The USPS says that the five-day plan is a critical element of a larger plan which is intended to keep the service solvent for the next decade.

Under the plan street delivery and blue box collections will be eliminated on Saturdays and Express Mail service will continue seven days a week.

Post offices currently open on Saturday will remain open, PO Box accessibility will continue, and bulk mail and drop shipments will continue to be accepted at facilities that are currently open.

If implemented, officials within the Postal Service estimate annual savings would be roughly $3.1 billion.

Before making the changes, the USPS must get approval from the US Congress.

(Source: http://www.abc2news.com/)

A decades-long crony of Bernard Madoff on Wednesday become the sixth man charged in America’s biggest Ponzi scheme.

Daniel Bonventre, who joined forces with Madoff back in 1968, was accused of cooking the books to hide the multi-billion dollar fraud.

The former director of operations for Madoff Investment Securities , Bonventre, 63, of Queens, faces charges of conspiracy, falsifying financial records, securities fraud and filing fake tax returns and bogus SEC reports.

Freed on $5 million bond when arrested last month, Bonventre will be arraigned Thursday in Manhattan Federal Court on charges that could bring a maximum of 77 years in prison.

Others charged so far in the $65 billion scheme include the now imprisoned-for-life Madoff, his lieutenant Frank DiPascali, who is cooperating with prosecutors, accountant David Friehling and two computer programmers, Jerome O’Hara and George Perez.

(Source: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/)

 Hey New Yorkers…send back those census forms!

That’s the message Mayor Bloomberg was trying to get out on Wednesday as officials learn the city is lagging behind the nation in mailing their census forms back.

WCBS reporter Paul Murnane says the city is launching an outreach-education effort.

Parts of Sound View in the Bronx and Ocean Hill in Brooklyn haven’t sent back a single census reply, says Bloomberg. Less than two percent of Jamaica and Manhattan’s Lower East Side have mailed it in.

“Our share is determined by our percentage of the population and our percentage of the population. The only thing that matters is the numbers of the census that is the definitive thing. Whether people are there or not, we don’t get money if they’re not counted,” said Bloomberg.

In immigrant communities especially there is fear, says the Mayor. Some just couldn’t be bothered.

The door-to-door gathering of data starts soon and another round of forms goes out to some neighborhoods later this month.

(Source: http://www.wcbs880.com/)

The NYPD is once again targeting drivers who illegally use hand-held cell phones while driving, it was announced this evening.

The citywide 24-hour crackdown will begin at midnight, as police officers will be on the lookout for drivers who text or talk on a cell phone — a dangerous habit that endangers both drivers and pedestrians.

Those snagged in the enforcement dragnet could face a fine of $130, police said.

A similar initiative carried out earlier this year on Jan. 21 resulted in 7,485 summonses being issued, according to NYPD statistics.

During 2009, the NYPD says it averaged 617 summonses a day to drivers using hand-held cell phones.

That number is up significantly from 2008, when the NYPD issued, on average, 536 summonses a day for illegal cell phone use by automobile operators.

(Source: http://www.silive.com/)

The NY Post reports: The widespread talk in political circles after the extremely lopsided loss of the candidate he strongly backed for a Boro Park City Council Seat is about the diminished power of Assemblyman Dov Hikind.

Hikind, long seen as the gateway to the Jewish community in Brooklyn for local candidates, didn’t return a Knickerbocker call to his office earlier.

But a major story coming out of the special election for the 44th Council District was Hikind’s eroded power after Joe Lazar, his candidate, lost by nearly 20 points to David Greenfield in a race that was seen as too close to call heading into election day.

Dov Hikind has a proven history of endorsing front runner candidates late in the electoral cycle, what is often overlooked is the fact that Dov Hikind can no longer deliver his district to those candidates he supports.

“The secret is exposed, the emporer has no clothes,” said one Jewish community insider who argued Hikind’s power has long been oversold.

The insider pointed to a history of his endorsements in recent races – or even some not-recent ones – to suggest his power has been overstated.

Among his recent candidates, who were outvoted by their rivals in Hikind’s Assembly district were: Bill Thompson for mayor (Mayor Bloomberg got nearly four times the votes); John Liu for comptroller; Brad Lander for Council; and Kevin Parker for state Senate in 2008.

There are certainly vaguaries in every election district (and cycle), and Jewish candidates tend to fair better in the heavily-Jewish district, even if Hikind didn’t back them. But his boost in many cases hasn’t carried his preferred picks over the threshhold.

(Source: http://www.nypost.com/)

The well-respected head of New York State’s Office of Homeland Security announced Thursday he is leaving his post for a job in the private sector. Officials said Thomas Donlon’s departure is not connected to the scandal that has rocked the Paterson administration and resulted in the resignation of five other administration and state police officials. 

Donlon helped lead state efforts to try to prevent a terrorist attack. He also helped coordinate security operations between federal, state and local agencies. Before joining state government, Donlon spent 31 years with the FBI. He had served in the FBI’s National Threat Center and also helped lead the New York FBI’s counter-terrorism division. Donlon was a lead case agent in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing case.

As state Homeland Security Director, Donlon served during the Zazi terror plot investigation that targeted New York subways as well as the alleged terror plot to bomb synagogues in the Bronx.

Donlon leaves his position as Governor Paterson, some top aides and former leaders of the state police have been facing scrutiny for their alleged involvement with a domestic violence case linked to one of his aides. Paterson’s press secretary, communications director, two state police directors and his director of public safety all left office amid the investigation.

(READ MORE: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/)

The FBI has launched a new website to help catch armed bank robbers in New York and New Jersey.

BanditTrackerNortheast.com features security camera photos of wanted robbers and descriptions of the crimes they are accused of committing.

Officials hope the public will check out the site and call or e-mail tips that could lead to arrests.

The site also allows investigators to download images of a suspect, sometimes within an hour after a robbery.

“We know the BanditTracker website will be a great tool in our effort to catch bank robbers, and we hope it may also deter crime,” said FBI official Belle Chen. “If you commit a bank robbery in the New York or New Jersey area, your picture is going to be everywhere.”

“All bank robbery suspects get caught. It’s just a matter of time,” said FBI official Rick Battelle. “They eventually get caught because they don’t stop robbing banks until they are. Good investigations will lead to an arrest, but the idea of this website and some other services is to catch them during that first robbery event to prevent those downstream robberies from occurring.”

Police in Chicago, St. Louis, and Arkansas use sites similar to help find robbery suspects.

Despite vocal public opposition, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board approved a series of proposed service cuts in a Midtown meeting, which will spell the end of the W and V subway lines and more than 20 bus lines.

With only two board members voting against the cuts, most of the board said that their agency is dealing with a budget deficit of nearly $800 million, and that the cuts will help the MTA reach a balanced budget by the new fiscal year in summer, as required by law.

Subway riders will soon lose the W and V trains.

The Q train would be extended to Astoria, Queens to alleviate some of the effects of the loss of the W line.

The M train will be merged with the V, but M service in southern Brooklyn and lower Manhattan will be eliminated.

Service would also be reduced on several other lines as a cost saver.

Bus riders in all five boroughs will be affected, with more than 20 lines set for complete elimination and many others facing shortened routes. Some lines are being extended to make up the difference.

Of the 34 members of the public who spoke at the meeting, most expressed objections to MTA staff layoffs, service cuts and fare increases.

A controversial proposal to cut student MetroCards will be dealt with in June, to allow the city and state more time to find funding.

(Read More: http://www.ny1.com/)

[PHOTO LINK BELOW] The driving rain couldn’t deter the 150 dedicated volunteers yesterday in Lakewood at the Kimcha D’Pischa Fund of Lakewood Pesach distribution center. The all day event ran from 10 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. as the volunteers readied the Pesach packages and delivered them to more than 500 Lakewood families. 

The packaging took place in the parking lot of the Lake Terrace Hall and was visited throughout the day by local Roshei Yeshiva and askanim. The Roshei Yeshiva of Bais Medrash Govoha, Rav Malkiel Kotler and Rav Yeruchem Olshin, visited the distribution center during the course of the day. State Assemblyman Gary Schaer, an Orthodox Jew from Passaic, State Senator Bob Singer, Lakewood Mayor Steve Langert and local Committeemen Meir Lichtenstein and Menashe Miller also came to witness the scene.

Kimcha D’Pischa Fund of Lakewood, a project of Tomchei Shabbos of Lakewood, has a Pesach budget of $500,000, roughly 25% of the annual Tomchei Shabbos budget. The fund has become the largest kupah for kimcha d’pischa in Lakewood. The $500,000 is divided evenly among the 500 families who receive Pesach essentials from the Kimcha D’Pischa Fund. The packages include Yom Tov essentials; wine, grape juice, matzah, fish, chicken, meat, produce, potato starch, plastic ware and more. Each family’s needs and chumrahs such as hand matzah, Beis Yosef shechitah etc. are met by the staff of the kupah.

The kupah distributed this year 5,000 pounds of matzah, 7,000 pounds of fish, 12,000 bottles of wine and grape juice, 50,000 pounds of meat and chicken and 110,000 pounds of produce. https://www.jewishboxoffice.com/ch/tomchei?aff=yw

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