Bias Crime in Crown Heights – Mezuzah Burnt

The New York Post’s NYPD Blotter reported that “Cops are investigating the burning of a religious adornment in Crown Heights, authorities said yesterday.

A 14-year-old girl called cops to her Crown Street home at 10 p.m. Thursday after she smelled smoke and discovered that the mezuzah – a Jewish symbol of faith affixed to the doorway – was burned, police sources said.

Authorities are investigating the vandalism as an act of criminal mischief and possible bias crime.”

CrownHeights.info has learned that this incident took place inside of 621 Crown St which is a large building located between Troy and Albany, its residents a predominately Black. One of the residents of the house notice that the Mezuzahs screws had been removed Friday morning, and by the afternoon they smelled it burning.

Kiev Synagogue Attacker Released, Threatens Further Violence

Kiev, Ukraine — The man who entered a Kiev synagogue last year with a large knife and declared that he meant to kill the country’s chief rabbi has been released from custody, according to a February 13, 2007.

Georgi Dobryansky was never charged with a hate crime, despite his confession that he blamed Jews for “genocide” against Ukrainians, and ultimately served his one year sentence, which expired this month. Shortly after leaving prison, he allegedly called the offices of a Ukrainian Jewish newspaper (Evreysky Obozrevatel) and threatened violence. Vadim Rabinovich, head of the Ukrainian Jewish Congress, was quoted in the report saying that the Congress has asked for help from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He added that if Mr. Dobryansky commits another hate crime, “responsibility will rest upon those who set him free.”

Over a Year Later and the Chabad Weltman Synagogue is in the Headlines Once Again

West Palm Beach, FL — Marc Benayer, the alleged shooter in the Chabad Weltman Synagogue killing in October 2005, was charged on Tuesday with solicitation of a hitman to kill a lawyer and a witness in the case and with witness tampering.

Benayer, 80, is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail and awaiting trial in the synagogue shooting during Rosh Hashanah services that left Jonathan Samuels mortally wounded. Samuels, 44, was shot twice in the back in the attack. He died in July 2006. Benayer was initially charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault. Medical officials and investigators are trying to determine if Samuels died from the gunshots in the alleged attack, if so charges could be upgraded to murder.

Burglars Strike twice at Chabad House

Pasadena, CA — A Jewish synagogue in Pasadena was burglarized Tuesday and again the following day, a police lieutenant said.

An unknown number of burglars entered the Chabad of Pasadena Synagogue and Jewish Community Center in the 1000 block of Walnut Avenue early Tuesday and made off with about $500 in cash, said Pasadena police Lt. Randell Taylor.

The break-in was reported around 7 a.m., he said.

Basement Burglarized Right Off Kingston!

Yesterday, Tuesday, sometime between 12:00pm in the afternoon and 6:00pm in the evening a basement was burglarized on Montgomery St right off Kingston Ave in broad daylight! The owner told CrownHeights.info that among the items taken was a Laptop, GPS, MP3 Player, Cell Phone and a CD Player, he said that these were the obvious things that were missing and he may find that more was taken.

Police were called and they filed a report and inspected where they burglar entered from they couldn’t find any sign of forced entry. The responding officers told the burglary victim that his incident is only one in a number of such recent occurrences, the burglars prey on dwellings that are easy to gain entry too and only take items of significant value.

CrownHeights.info would like to urge all resident to keep an extra eye out for anyone walking around and looking at houses and attempting to open doors to please notify Shomrim at (718) 774-3333 24/7

Chabad Rabbi Myers verbally attacked

Rabbi Baruch Myers and his 12-year-old son were verbally attacked by two culprits on January 27.

According to the Sme daily, the attack took place downtown in the Slovak capital as the rabbi and his son were leaving a synagogue on Heydukova Street. The two culprits allegedly shouted “Jew! Jews to the gas chambers! Juden raus!”, but did not become violent. Myers said he feared being physically attacked, and hid in a nearby video arcade.

Yeshiva Student Sentenced For Long Beach Airport Bomb Hoax

Los Angeles, CA — A Miami Beach yeshiva student was sentenced to six months of home detention and ordered to do community service for calling in a bomb threat for a JetBlue flight at Long Beach airport after he arrived too late to board the plane last summer.

Y***** W*** acknowledged when he pleaded guilty last fall that he made the hoax threat to try to keep the Aug. 26 evening flight to Fort Lauderdale from leaving before he could board. W*** also was fined $1,000.

Attorney Donald Etra said his 22-year-old client wanted to apologize to the passengers on the flight, who were delayed about a half-hour because of the hoax. “He does realize … that you don’t mess with airlines, you don’t mess with airline safety,” Etra told U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper.

Owner Of Brooklyn Roller Rink Fights To Keep His Facility Safe

Click Here to watch a newscats of this event! (Real Player)

As police continue their investigation into the shooting outside a Brooklyn roller rink earlier this month, the facility’s owner says he is being unfairly targeted as a source for problems. NY1’s Jeanine Ramirez filed the following report.

The Empire Roller Skating Center in Crown Heights, which has been around for 60 years, is the only full-time roller rink left in the city. But police say the rink has generated chronic complaints, the latest incident being a shooting outside after an adult skating session earlier this month.

Shomrim Prevents Illegal Dumping

Tuesday afternoon at around 2:00pm a Shomrim member spotted two Mexican men dumping garbage on Clove Rd. between Montgomery and Empire from the back of their station wagon. More Shomrim members arrived on scene in order to stop them and police were called. In the meantime the two men pleaded with Shomrim members not to call police and immediately began cleaning up the garbage they dumped and put it back into their car.

Dumping in NYC is a serious crime and is a violation of the Administrative Code of the City of New York with fines ranging from $1,500 to $40,000 and the vehicles used in such a crime is subject to impoundment.

More in the Extended Article.

Shomrim Recover Stolen Vehicle Using OnStar

Sunday evening in the heart of Boro Park a car-jacking took place on 45th St. between 17th and 18th Avenues. A slim built male Black ran up to the car and pointed a gun at the driver and ordered him to exit the vehicle and fled with it.

The Boro Park Shomrim Division responded to the call along with numerous Police Officers from the 66th Precinct and began canvassing the area for the car, a 2007 Black GMC Envoy. All the other Shomrim Divisions including Flatbush, Crown Heights and Williamsburg were notified and requested to assist in the canvas. Police had issued a Level One Mobilization as well, notifying the surrounding Precincts of the incident.

Shomrim Apprehend Alleged Car Thief

Sunday evening at around 10:30pm Shomrim received a call from an alert resident that had observed a young white male in their backyard inside a car. The incident had taken place on Eastern Pkwy between Troy and Albany.

Numerous Shomrim members responded and surrounded the area and called police, many officers of the 77th Precinct responded and arrived on scene with the youth still inside the vehicle. Police arrested the youth and when questioned as to why he was in the car he answered that ‘he was being chased and was scared so he was hiding in the car’.