Yeshiva World News

Con Edison reduced power to tens of thousands of customers in Queens and Westchester County because of electrical equipment problems.

The move comes as New York City swelters under an intense heat wave, with the “real feel” temperature expected to soar into triple digits today.

The company says in a statement that the voltage reduction was done as a precaution to protect equipment and maintain service as crews work to repair the problem.

The reduction affects about 107,000 customers in the Maspeth area of Queens. In Westchester, 29,000 customers are affected in Elmsford, Greenburgh, Ardsley, Irvington and Tarrytown.

Con Edison is asking customers in the areas to conserve energy and avoid using appliances such as washers, dryers, air conditioners and other energy-intensive equipment.

The company didn’t detail the equipment problem or provide information on when full power would be restored.

Customers can report power or service problems online at www.coned.com or by calling 1.800.752.6633. If reporting an outage, have your account number ready if possible, and know whether or not your neighbors are also without power.

Ahead of the heat wave, Con Edison said they were ready for the increase in demand all the air conditioning would cause.

Homeowners are asked to conserve as much energy as possible and to take care to keep the heat from creeping in.

Simple practices, such as pulling blinds down, keeping doors closed and running air conditioners at a moderate temperature, will go a long way.

READ MORE: WCBSTV

The U.S. Justice Department is preparing subpoenas as part of preliminary investigations into News Corp. relating to alleged foreign bribery and alleged hacking of voicemail of Sept. 11 victims, The Wall Street Journal reported in its Friday edition, citing a government official.

The issuance of such subpoenas, which would broadly seek relevant information from the company, requires approval by senior Justice Department leadership, which has not yet happened, the person said.

The issuance of subpoenas would represent an escalation of scrutiny on the New York-based media company. While the company has sought to isolate the legal problems in the U.K., it has been bracing for increased scrutiny from both the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), according to people familiar with the company’s strategy.

The Justice Department has said it is looking into allegations that News Corp.’s now-defunct News of the World newspaper in the U.K. paid bribes to British police. It has been unclear whether the Justice Department or the SEC have begun formal probes.

The FBI separately has begun an inquiry into whether News Corp. employees tried to hack into voicemails of Sept. 11 victims, people familiar with the early-stage probe have said.

A person close to News Corp. said the preparation of subpoenas is “a fishing expedition with no evidence to support it.”

Commenting on the FBI inquiry, another News Corp. spokeswoman said, “We have not seen any evidence to suggest there was any hacking of 9/11 victim’s phones, nor has anybody corroborated what are clearly very serious allegations. The story arose when an unidentified person speculated to the Daily Mirror about whether it happened. That paper printed the anonymous speculation, which has since mushroomed in the broader media with no substantiation.”

READ MORE: WSJ

(Source: Fox News)

The Foreign Press Association in Israel sent a sharp letter to the Prime Minister’s Office Thursday, complaining of multiple humiliating incidents, which the organization claims both impedes foreign reporters’ work, as well as erodes their professional standing.

The FPA denounced what it called “the continued harassment” of foreign reporters who arrive at the PM Office’s media events, adding that unless policies change, they may stop covering the PMO altogether.

“The Foreign Press Association strongly condemns the continued harassment of journalists attending media events at the Prime Minister’s Office,” said the letter.

READ MORE: YNET

Four beaches have been polluted and more may be closed as city workers scramble to stop raw sewage from being spilled after a blast at a Harlem wastewater-treatment plant, officials said yesterday.

The Department of Environmental Protection is warning would-be swimmers not to enter the water at South, Midland and Cedar Grove beaches on Staten Island and Sea Gate in Brooklyn until Monday. Also, the Hudson, Harlem and East rivers won’t be fit for water contact.

(Source: NY Post)

Detectives hauled out more children’s clothes from murder suspect Levi Aron’s apartment yesterday and are investigating whether he is a first-time killer, law-enforcement sources told The Post.

The theory is based on 35-year-old Aron’s age and the manner in which 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky was murdered, the sources said.

Cops took bags marked “kids pants” and “blue child’s spoon, pink cup” from the attic apartment and will run the items through the DNA database to see if they match other cases, sources said.

The loser loner stashed the items in the East Second Street home in Kensington, Brooklyn.

“There were two boxes in a closet, and they appear to have been there for a while,” said a source.

They also carried out bags of shirts and jackets and 12 filing boxes.

READ MORE: NY POST

More than 900 men and women from the Five Towns/Rockaway area filled the White Shul, Congregation Kneseth Israel for a community symposium offering suggestions for helping families cope with the murder of Leiby Kletzky. The forum was the latest in a series organized by Chai Lifeline and co-sponsored by Interborough Developmental and Consultation Center, MASK, and Achiezer.

“The situation is unprecedented in the history of the American Jewish community,” noted Rabbi Simcha Scholar, Chai Lifeline’s executive vice president. “That this child was killed by someone in our community has magnified the trauma and caused parents to question everything they believe about how to keep their children safe.”

The evening began with divrei chizuk by Rabbi Eytan Feiner, Rav of the White Shul. He noted that the entire community had come together to find Leiby, and he urged the hundreds of participants not to lose that sense of unity.

His words of comfort, “We don’t know why this happened, but ultimately it is for the good,” were eagerly received. Men and women wiped tears from their eyes as Rabbi Feiner spoke.

Dr. Norman Blumenthal, a clinical psychologist and director of Chai Lifeline’s department of crisis intervention and bereavement, offered concrete advice for talking to children about Leiby’s death and other traumatic events.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to tell our children about things we would rather they didn’t know. But we live in a very public world, and it’s important that they get the facts from responsible adults,” he stated. He advised parents to follow up explanations with a clear statement that although scary things can happen, they are rare.

Reflecting on the suspect in Leiby’s death came from the Orthodox community, he said, “Unfortunately, we have to impress upon them that even people who look safe and look familiar may not be necessarily be safe. That’s a tragic sign of the times that we have to give this message over to them.”

David Pelcovitz, Ph.D., a renowned child psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University, also gave practical advice on giving children a sense of security in an ever-changing world. Among his suggestions were giving children undivided attention when they need support, and reinforcing rituals like tucking them into bed at night to show them that they are safe.

“Right now, they are scared, and that’s normal. But normality will return,” he said.

Rabbi Scholar noted that over 120,000 had participated in Chai Lifeline programs in the past week, either in person at the symposia, through live audio and video feeds of community forums, two conference calls with Dr. Blumenthal, and downloads of the feeds at www.chailifeline.org/boroparktragedy. An eight-minute video of Dr. Blumenthal’s suggestions on talking to children about the tragedy has been viewed more than 24,000 times on Youtube.com

“We feel privileged to be able to serve the community in this time of extreme stress,” said Rabbi Scholar.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Israeli Prison Service said Thursday they discovered a cellular phone in Marwan Barghouti’s prison cell in Hadarim Prison during a routine search. The Fatah’s former secretary-general in the West Bank was then sent to a two-weeks in solitary confinement.
 
According to the IPS, convicted murderer Barghouti was not alone in his cell, but that the mobile phone was discovered amongst his personal belongings.

He was subjected to a disciplinary hearing and sentenced to a two-week isolation period.
 
It is still unclear what Barghouti was doing with the mobile phone, with whom he had been speaking to or how he was able to obtain the phone in the first place.

(Source: Ynet)

As police prepared to remove more evidence from Levy Aron’s attic apartment, his legal team suffered a body-blow today.

Defense co-counsel Gerard Marrone abruptly resigned from the case, telling Eyewitness News that he simply could not in good conscience continue to represent Aron, who is accused of abducting and murdering an 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky in Brooklyn.

“The allegations were too horrific, and it’s not something I wanted to be involved in,” he told Eyewitness News. “I have three boys. One of my sons is seven. I looked at my own children and there are no words. You see the victim and you feel so sad.”

Marrone admitted there was a time earlier this week when he cried over the death of Leiby Kletzky.

Marrone and his co-counsel Pierre Bazile suggested last week that Aron was schizophrenic and said they were considering an insanity defense.

Bazile sought to downplay that speculation this afternoon

“Reports in the press that a so-called ‘insanity defense’ is planned are premature,” he said in a statement. “Please refrain from publishing this erroneous information.”

People in the community we spoke with insisted that an insanity plea would be an injustice.

(Source: WABC)

Investigators say they haven’t established any links between New York murder suspect Levi Aron and unsolved crimes in other states, a day after the Brooklyn man was indicted in the killing of Leiby Kletzky A”H.

Aron, 35, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering and kidnapping Leiby Kletzky, who got lost July 11 while walking home alone from day camp, and asked the suspect for help.

Police have since used Aron’s DNA to investigate possible connections to crimes in other states where Aron once lived, according to a report on CBS 2′s website. The website reported that investigators are looking at crimes in states like Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida.

New York City Police spokesman Paul Browne told FoxNews.com on Thursday that it is “standard procedure” to look for possible connections to other crimes.

“We would do that in every serious crime,” Browne said.

“We don’t have anything to suggest victims other than the one in this case,” he said. “We have him linked to only the one.”

But that could change, law enforcement sources say, as more details emerge about Aron, who authorities say has no known criminal past.

The New York Post, citing police sources, reported Thursday that authorities searching Aron’s Brooklyn apartment removed children’s clothing that did not belong to Leiby. But police have not discovered any other victims.

Captain Mike Griffus of the Germantown Police Department in Germantown, Tenn., a suburb of Memphis where Aron once lived, told FoxNews.com on Thursday that “we’re not looking at him for anything.”

“We don’t have anything remotely related to that type of a crime,” Griffus said, adding that the only involvement his department had with Aron was over a speeding ticket issued on April 7, 2006.

A spokeswoman with the police department in Memphis also told FoxNews.com that Aron is not currently being investigated for any crimes committed within the city.

The FBI said Thursday that the case is still considered a “local matter” and that the bureau has no involvement in the case at this point.

READ MORE: FOX NEWS

He’s the controversial civil rights campaigner whose colourful past includes accusations of bigotry, racism and anti-Semitism. Now cable news network MSNBC is reportedly handing Reverend Al Sharpton the 6pm primetime slot in a move bound to cause a storm.

Rev Sharpton, 56, has been guest hosting the slot for three weeks, after radio host Cenk Uygur had a six-month try-out that failed.

The former Democratic presidential candidate is set to become the only black host of a U.S. primetime cable news show.

(Source: Daily Mail UK)

When Rabbi Nachman and Esty Kletzky announced the formation of the Leiby Kletzky Memorial Fund, they did not know what to expect. Just one day later, the results have been very gratifying. Over 1000 people from all over the world – Jews and non-Jews, men and women, strangers and friends -have visited www.LeibyKletzkyMemorialFund.com, and donated over $51,000.

Donations have come from Australia, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Switzerland, Russia, Turkey, Israel, and, of course, the United States. Over 500 people posted words of comfort for the family and the community. Already, one couple in Florida named their new baby Leiby in his honor.

It was just a week ago that an overwhelming outpouring of concern and kindness began with Leiby’s disappearance. Seven thousand volunteers joined in the frantic search. Once the word spread, tens of thousands also included Leiby in their prayers. Rabbis addressed their congregations. Teachers talked to their students. Parents shared their feelings with their children. The support for Nachman, Esty and their five daughters was overwhelming. When hope turned into horror, the community’s support did not fade. If anything it increased with expressions of consolation from all sections of Klal Yisroel.

Nachman and Esty realized that this tidal wave of compassion could be channeled to benefit Leiby’s neshama and other Jews as well.  That is why Nachman Kletsky stood up at the end of Shiva and announced, “Had my dear son Leiby lived he would have contributed so much good to the world. He was such a sensitive and kind soul. Now that his beautiful life was cut so short we should not allow the world to miss out. Our family wishes to establish the LEIBY KLETZKY MEMORIAL FUND to perpetuate the memory of our dear Leiby and to keep him alive in our hearts and minds. This fund would help anguished families in crisis and need, something that Leiby would have wanted to do had he been given more years of life. By making this fund a successful one we can turn the anguished cries of “Leiby, Where are you?” into the sacred reply of “I am here, helping my fellow man”.

Yet even Nachman and Esty could not have predicted the magnitude of response. In addition to donating, people have begun inviting their friends to participate through Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, email, and other social media. One person inspired over 600 visitors to not only contribute to the Leiby Kletzky Memorial Fund, but to invite their friends, as well. That help will be needed to reach the goal of one million dollars in three months. To facilitate the effort, they have established the fund under a recognized 5013c IRS tax exempt non-profit organization, Khal Lev Echad. They have also asked their Rov, Rabbi Binyomin Eisenberger shlit”a to administer the funds.

Leiby Kletzky missed out on a lot of things in life – his bar mitzvah, his wedding, children, holidays, and many, many family and community simchos and milestones. The Leiby Kletzky Memorial Fund will help ensure that those in need do not have to miss out as well. Instead, they will be able to celebrate with dignity and gratitude – just as Leiby would have wanted.

Anyone wishing to donate can visit www.LeibyKletzkyMemorialFund.com or send their check to the Leiby Kletzky Memorial Fund, c/o Rabbi Binyamin Eisenberger, 1448 56th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11219.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Democratic polling firm said President Obama’s already weak job-approval numbers are “worse than they appear” and he likely would lose the election if it were held today.

For the first time in a year, Mr. Obama does not lead former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Public Policy Polling’s monthly national poll on the 2012 presidential race. They are tied at 45 percent, and Mr. Obama is losing among independent voters by a margin of 49 percent to 44 percent.

Worse for Mr. Obama, PPP said, the “vast majority” of undecideds disapprove of the president’s performance. The survey of registered voters was conducted July 15-17.

“There’s a very good chance Barack Obama would lose if he had to stand for re-election today,” said Dean Debnam, president of PPP. “This is his worst poll standing in a long time, and he really needs the economy to start turning around.”

In an interview this week with a Kansas City, Mo., TV station, Mr. Obama said the election will be more about his record than the platform of the eventual Republican nominee.

“Americans understand that we didn’t get into this problem overnight,” Mr. Obama told KMBC-TV, one of three interviews he gave to regional TV outlets at the White House on Wednesday. “If next November they feel like I’ve … been working as hard as I can and have been getting some things done to move us in the right direction, then I’ll win. If they don’t, then I’ll lose.”

(Source: Washington Times)

Investigators spent four hours yesterday scouring newly discovered color surveillance video from a New Jersey gas station that shows Brooklyn monster Levi Aron escorting Leiby Kletzky to the bathroom late July 11—the last known images of the boy.

“It gave me chills in my spine,” said an attendant at the Sunoco station on the Palisades Parkway after looking at still images from the video, time-stamped 8:15 p.m. “I know the child is dead. It made me sad.”

The footage shows Aron opening his car door for Leiby, and the two walking into the bathroom together.

“The pictures were just the kid and the guy walking behind him,” the attendant said. “The man had a hat with glasses.

The little boy was dressed like the way they described him when they were looking for him.”

They were in the facility for only one to two minutes, said a second attendant who saw the video.

“There was no pushing, no nothing. The little kid goes easily,” the second attendant said.

The footage then shows them leaving in a Honda, the second attendant said.

“It just looked like anyone else walking in and out. The child didn’t look frightened,” the first attendant said.

Later that night, they returned to Aron’s attic apartment in Kensington.

The next day, July 12, Aron allegedly bound Leiby and left him “in a captive position” for 12 hours while he went to his plumbing-supply stockboy job.

READ MORE: NY POST

The sweltering heat wave that has stifled the tri-state throughout the week and already has claimed nearly two dozen lives in its trek across the nation stretches into a sixth day, with the hottest temperatures expected today and tomorrow.

The National Weather Service says the heat and humidity will combine to make it feel like 105 degrees Thursday and as hot as 110 degrees on Friday and Saturday.

Don’t expect it to feel much cooler in the evening, when temperatures may not drop below 80 degrees.

Nearly all of New Jersey is under an excessive heat warning through Saturday evening as a large dome of high pressure brings stifling heat and humidity to the region.

An excessive heat warning is in effect through Friday evening for the five boroughs, the lower Hudson Valley and Rockland and Westchester counties in New York.

The National Weather Service urges area residents to take extra precautions when working or spending time outdoors. Reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening and be aware of the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear light weight and loose fitting clothing when possible and drink plenty of water.

Energy could be an issue with a spike in power demand expected throughout the five boroughs. Con Edison has extra crews and support personnel standing by today, ready to respond to any heat-related disruptions that might occur.

Forecasters say a sea breeze might provide some relief at the beaches, but for the most part, there will be little relief before Sunday. Highs Saturday are expected to hit the mid 90s before dropping to the mid 80s on Sunday.

Next week’s forecast looks more seasonable with highs in the low to mid 80s.

(Source: NBC New York)

A British police investigation into illegal phone hacking by journalists has expanded beyond Rupert Murdoch’s disgraced News of the World tabloid to many other newspapers, the British Information Commissioner’s Office told CNN Thursday.

The Metropolitan Police asked the data-protection agency to hand over files from a 2006 investigation into the work of a private investigator who sold illegally obtained information to a wide range of newspapers, including the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and News of the World.

The scandal over phone-hacking by News of the World forced the paper to close, prompted two top police officers to resign, and has put pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron, who hired a former editor of the paper to be his spokesman.

Police added 15 more officers to the investigation, boosting the existing team to 60, the officer in charge of the case said Thursday.

The increase comes in response to “a surge of enquiries and requests for assistance from the public and solicitors,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers said.

Police were already plowing through 11,000 pages of documents seized from a private investigator before they requested the additional files from the Information Commissioner.

The request for files from the Information Commissioner investigation came three months ago, the commissioner’s office said Thursday.

(Source: CNN)

On Wednesday afternoon, the news broke that the Medical Examiner’s Office had announced the official cause of death of Leiby Kletzky a”h. What didn’t make the news, however, was the extreme sensitivity that the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office displayed toward the Kletzky family and, in fact, continues to display toward the entire community.

Acting Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen James DeRoux was scheduled to release the cause of death, but he first wanted to disclose the sensitive information to the family, due to concern for their wellbeing during this difficult period. The Medical Examiner’s Office attempted to contact the family several times, but there was no response. Dr. DeRoux was under immense pressure to make the announcement because law enforcement personnel were awaiting his report. Dr. DeRoux therefore reached out to his contacts at Misaskim and asked for assistance in locating the Kletzky family. Misaskim representatives contacted members of the Kletzky family and transmitted the information they had received from Dr. DeRoux. Only after Dr. DeRoux received confirmation that the family had been notified, did he proceed to announce the cause of death to law enforcement and to the public.

Special sensitivity toward the family was also shown last Wednesday when the gruesome crime came to light. The Medical Examiner’s office opened up early that day as an accommodation in case anything extra would be needed, and some staffers even offered to stay late so that there would be no delays.

These are not the only incidents this week that demonstrate the compassion that the Medical Examiner’s Office extends toward all New Yorkers, including the Jewish community. On Monday, a 21-year old girl from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was niftar during a surgical procedure at a hospital in New York City. The family wanted to do their utmost to bring their beloved daughter to her eternal rest as soon as possible, as mandated by halachah.

The incident that led to the death of the nifteres legally requires the intervention of the Medical Examiners Office. The family contacted Misaskim for assistance after they were told that they would have to wait until the next morning since the Medical Examiner’s Office was already closed. When Misaskim called its contacts at the Medical Examiner’s Office, they graciously offered to open up their offices so that the body could be examined and released in a timely manner. The levayah was held on Tuesday afternoon in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and was a great comfort to the family.

Misaskim is deeply grateful for the ongoing understanding that the Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Charles Hirsch, and the entire Medical Examiner’s Office consistently demonstrate toward our community. Dr. Hirsch’s compassionate and stellar leadership makes the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office a model for coroners across the nation. The Medical Examiner’s Office is always eager to do all that it can to accommodate families who have suffered a loss. Misaskim’s positive relationship with the New York City’s Medical Examiner’s Office enables them to continue to stand at the forefront of community service—something which is much appreciated by all.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)