Yeshiva World News

Brooklyn – New York City Council candidate and education advocate David G. Greenfield announced a plan that would require every non-public school submit their entire staff to fingerprint criminal background checks by the NYPD just like public school employees. The plan, which would apply to every yeshiva in Brooklyn, was crafted with consultation with Das Torah. Currently, yeshivas have no criminal background check requirement for their employees that would prevent criminals from being employed. This plan will give parents the confidence that their children are in a school with no criminals.

“When parents send their children to yeshiva, they trust that they are sending their children to a safe place for them to learn. There is nothing more important than keeping our children safe,” said Greenfield. “Keeping child predators and criminals out of our yeshivas is common sense legislation. When elected I will introduce legislation mandating criminal background checks for all yeshiva employees.”

Unlike other elected officials, Greenfield consulted with Das Torah before releasing this plan.

“The issue of abuse is serious and must be addressed accordingly.” Greenfield added. “When I am elected to the City Council, I will work collaboratively with our rabbonim and mosdos to combat this horrendous crime and ensure that our children are safe and secure.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)

In response to their failure to stop health care reform from passing last night, the Republicans have set their sights on a new goal: Nancy Pelosi’s job as Speaker of the House.

The GOP’s official Web site has been replaced by firenancypelosi.com, boasting a goal to knock the Democratic leader from her post by winning 40 seats in the House of Representatives in November’s elections.

“It is time to fire Nancy Pelosi and send a message to President Obama that it’s time to stop their partisan liberal agenda of government takeovers and start working for Americans to create jobs and grow our economy,” RNC Chairman Michael Steele said in a statement late last night.

The site initially aimed to raise $402,010 in 40 hours, but that amount increased as it passed that goal less than halfway through its fundraising efforts. As of this posting, the total had reached $613,416.

Donators are invited to give as little as $40, but as much as $400.

This is not the first time Pelosi has been targeted by the GOP. Last year, the National Republican Congressional Committee spearheaded a Fire Nancy Pelosi petition using mobile phones. The goal was to obtain signatures, but also raise money.

(Source: NY Daily News)

[ORIGINAL UPDATES BELOW] 9:00PM IL: It is now cleared to release that an IDF soldier was killed by mistaken gunfire in the Kissufim area.

Golani Brigade forces operating in the Kissufim area were unaware that tank corps soldiers were operating in the area. The tank corps soldiers entered on foot in response to a report that three Gazans crossed the fence. They are not permitted to fire in that area for fear of striking civilians.

The infantry force responded in a jeep, detecting the movement of three tank corps soldiers, opening fire in the belief they were firing at terrorists. Tragically, one of the tank corps soldiers was killed.

The three Gazans were taken into custody and it was determined they are not terrorists, but crossed into Israel in the hope of securing work.

IDF Southern District Commander Major-General Yoav Gallant has ordered an investigation headed by a senior officer.

7:55PM IL: A number of hours ago soldiers were engaged in a heavy exchanges of gunfire in the Kissufim area, a location where sporadic gunfire has been taking place for much of the day.

Hamas sources report IDF soldiers are firing artillery shells and illumination flares in the Kissufim area.

7:06PM IL: At present, details of the event are not cleared by the military censor for publication, but a serious security incident has just occurred near Kissufim along the Gaza border.

YWN-Israel will provide additional details as soon as they may be released.

DEVELOPING…

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)

Attorneys general from at least 12 states say they will challenge the constitutionality of the healthcare reform bill passed by the House of Representatives Sunday night.

The threatened action suggests the controversial measure is about to move from the legislative realm into what could become a protracted and messy fight in the courts. The attorneys general say they will sue once President Obama signs the bill into law. They are pledging to take their battle all the way to the US Supreme Court.

“The health care legislation Congress passed tonight is an assault against the Constitution,” said South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster. “A legal challenge by the states appears to be the only hope of protecting the American people from this unprecedented attack on our system of government,” he said in a statement.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum issued a similar statement late Sunday. “If the president signs this bill into law, we will file a lawsuit to protect the rights and interests of American citizens,” he said.

The comments came after a Sunday night conference call in which attorneys general from 11 states expressed support for legal action to block the law. In addition to Florida and South Carolina, the participating attorneys general were from Alabama, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Washington, Utah, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

In addition, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli announced that he will file a lawsuit on behalf of his state challenging what he called the “unconstitutional overreach” of the healthcare law.

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

[Elizabeth Benjamin of the Daily News reports] A spokeswoman for Comptroller John Liu today chastised City Council hopeful Joe Lazar for distributing literature that seems to imply he has been endorsed man he’s trying to replace, Simcha Felder, in tomorrow’s 44th CD special election.

The mailer quotes Felder saying: “I want to thank Joe Lazar for all the help he has given our community.” There’s no indication as to when or where the former councilman made that statement.

Felder referred a call seeking comment to Liu spokeswoman Sharon Lee, who said:

“(Felder) has not and will not be involved in the race. Any photos or literature insinuating the deputy comptroller’s support were unauthorized.”

Felder departed his seat on the Council to join Liu’s staff as deputy comptroller for budget and accounting, leaving shortly after he was sworn for a third term.

Lazar’s chief competition in the 44th CD is David Greenfield, who, like Felder, used to work for Assemblyman Dov Hikind.

Hikind is supporting Lazar. So is Liu, although you wouldn’t know is from the other side of the mailer, which apparently is being sent out in Boro Park (hence the re-print of The Jewish Press endorsement, plus the photos of Hikind, Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio).

On his list of endorsements from elected officials, Greenfield has former Brooklyn Democratic Chairman/Assemblyman Vito Lopez, Mayor Ed Koch and Mayor Bloomberg, who campaigned with the candidate last week.

(LINK: http://www.nydailynews.com/)

12:40PM EST: [UPDATE BELOW] An NYPD officer has just been shot in the Bronx at 3073 Park Avenue near 158th Street.

The officer is reportedly in serious condition, and has been transported to Lincoln Hospital.

The perpetrator is barricaded inside an apartment, and has possibly been shot as well.

A massive NYPD response is on the scene, including ESU, K9, Highway Division, and other special units, and have the building surrounded.

Our thoughts & prayers go out to the officer and his family.

UPDATE 1:27PM EST: Sources tell YWN that the officer was shot multiple times, including the chest and stomach, and is in critical condition. Additionally, NYPD ESU Units have gained access to the apartment, and it appears the gunman is DOA. It is unknown how he died at this time.

UPDATE 4:17PM EST: The Following are Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s Remarks as Delivered at Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx
 
“Good afternoon.  I’m joined by Governor Paterson, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Chief of Department Joe Esposito, Chief of Patrol James Hall, Chief of Housing Joanne Jaffe and others that Commissioner Kelly will introduce later, as well as Jose Sanchez, the Executive Director of Lincoln Hospital.
 
“Here is what we know at this point: Police Officer Robert Salerno, assigned to the 44th Precinct here in the Bronx was shot after he responded to a 911 call. I’ve met with his father, mother, and brother here at the hospital, and accidentally I’ve known his father for about 20 years. So it makes it personal for me.
 
“Officer Salerno is in stable condition and I would like to personally thank the doctors and staff here at Lincoln for their expert work today. His injuries are believed to be not to be life threatening. He is 25 years old and has been a Police Officer for three years. He suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen, including one that was blocked by his bullet resistant vest, possibly saving his life. 
 
“The shooting took place just after noon at a NYCHA development called the Morrisania Air Rights located at 3073 Park Avenue. Officer Salerno was one of a number of patrol officers who responded to a 911 call concerning a dispute at that address. There was a confrontation in which shots were fired. Officer Salerno was wounded and the suspected shooter, Santiago Urena, died.

Further details will be posted as they become available to YWN.

(Moshe Altusky – YWN)

Virginia’s attorney general said he plans to sue the federal government over the healthcare reform legislation, saying Congress lacks authority to force people to buy health insurance.

The following is the statement from Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli:

“The Office of the Attorney General of Virginia will move forward with our lawsuit against the federal government and its unconstitutional overreach of its authority with the passage of the federal health care bill.  We will file our complaint with the court as soon as the president signs it into law.

“With this law, the federal government will force citizens to buy health insurance, claiming it has the authority to do so because of its power to regulate interstate commerce.  We contend that if a person decides not to buy health insurance, that person – by definition – is not engaging in commerce, and therefore, is not subject to a federal mandate.

“Virginia is in a unique situation that allows it the standing to file such a suit since Virginia is the only state so far to pass a law protecting its citizens from a government-imposed mandate to buy health insurance.  The health care reform bill, with its insurance mandate, creates a conflict of laws between the federal government and Virginia.  Normally, such conflicts are decided in favor of the federal government, but because we believe the federal law is unconstitutional, Virginia’s law should prevail.

“Just being alive is not interstate commerce.  If it were, there would be no limit to the U.S. Constitution’s commerce clause and to Congress’s authority to regulate everything we do.  There has never been a point in our history where the federal government has been given the authority to require citizens to buy goods or services.

“While we believe the health care reform bill the House just voted on suffers from constitutional problems, we do want to thank Speaker Pelosi for not trying to enact the bill through the questionable “deem and pass” procedure.  By requiring an up-or-down vote on the Senate bill, she is living up to the letter of Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution.  As someone who is sworn to protect the Constitution, she did the right thing in that regard.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled in other cases that Congress cannot regulate non-commercial activities.  In United States v. Lopez (1995) and United States v. Morrison (2000), the Supreme Court struck down attempts to regulate non-commercial activities based upon their predicted effects on interstate commerce because those attempts went beyond the outer limits of the Commerce Clause. 

The suit will be filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division.

(Poloma Gefen – YWN)