Stolen Phone Makes Its Way Back To Owner

Three weeks ago a member of the community had his car window broken into and his cell phone stolen from the glove compartment. He filed a police report, and went to the Cingular store on Kingston Ave, and asked the manger to call him if his phone makes its way there.

This past Friday a black male brought that above mentioned cell phone into the Cingular store asking to buy a charger and to sign up for service. The manager upon recognizing the cell phone, called the owner asking him to come down to the store to confirm that it was his phone. Needing to buy time until the owner arrived to identify the phone, the manager told the customer that “we need to wait for the phone to be fully charged and ensure its working properly, before we can sign you up for service” .

When the owner arrived he identified the phone as being his, and in turn the police were called. The police arrived on the scene and spoke to the man who claimed he bought the phone from a guy on Kingston & Fulton and knew it was stolen. The cop asked him if he was aware that he can get arrested for doing so, to which he replied “yes”. The cops then let him go, and returned the phone to its owner.

West Hartford Graffiti Arrests

Police in West Hartford have busted 4 teens in connection with graffiti spray painted on and around the Jewish community center.

Investigators say the 15 year olds are also responsible for spray painting messages on street signs, a stone bridge, and a neighbor’s garage door.

Police say the graffiti consisted of mostly initials and symbols.

They say they have no proof the teens are responsible for the swastika spray painted at the Chabad House. As reported here and here.

Fatal bus accident boy ordered to foster care

The 8-year-old boy accused of causing the bus to run over a little girl has been ordered placed in foster care. The girl, Amber Sadiq, was run over and killed Monday by a school bus in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Police say the troubled boy fiddled with the controls and caused the bus to roll backwards over Amber.

There were two major developments here this afternoon. First the child’s father has been stripped of custody of the child. He will be placed in foster care for at least the next eight months.

Man Arrested Yesterday, Released

At 1:57pm today [Friday] the yungerman that was arrested yesterday for confronting a police officer after receiving a double parking ticket, had been released from central booking after spending the night in jail

The charges against him, obstruction of a government employee and the parking ticket, had been dropped.

NCFJE Seminar “Cycles of Abuse”

Nearly 100 professionals, educators, school counselors, and therapists were present on Monday, May 22, 2006, when Operation Survival, a division of NCFJE held a seminar titled “Cycles of Abuse.” The seminar featured renowned psychotherapist, author and addiction expert Ronald Potter-Efron, M.S.W., Ph. D. and noted physician and lecturer Dr. Susan Schulman. It addressed the topics of child abuse and the resultant feelings of shame, guilt, and anger that become risk factors for further abuses including substance abuse, as well as some solutions to the problem of the cycles of abuse.

Rabbi Shea Hecht, Chairman NCFJE, introduced the speakers with his trademark warmth and charisma, using stories and Torah thoughts to stress the value of each child and how precious they are to us. He also spoke about the importance of guarding our children’s safety by facing the issue of abuse and doing something about it. Rabbi Hecht’s message was synopsized with the saying, “Save one life and save a world.”

KU gets its own Chabad House

Lawrence, Kansas – New York philanthropist George Rohr aims to debunk the conventional wisdom that young Jews are bound to stray from Jewish practices during college.

That need not be true, Rohr believes, if on-campus opportunities for spiritual growth are provided. Moreover, Rohr is putting his money where his mouth is, and Kansas’ Jewish community will be the beneficiary.

The Rohr Family Foundation has provided a three-year supporting grant that allowed Rabbi Zalman Teichtel, his wife, Nechama, and their infant daughter, Mina, to move from Brooklyn to Lawrence a few weeks ago to open the new Chabad Jewish Center at KU and the Capital District. Right now, the Teichtels’ half of a pale blue duplex at 1201 W. 19th St. – a stone’s throw from Naismith Hall and the southern edge of the University of Kansas campus – doubles as the Chabad House. But by fall, they’ll have the building’s other half to use for offices, and a sign will beckon visitors.

Study of Chabad Houses Finds Jews Seeking Spiritual Growth

The Lubavitcher Chasidim are touting their rapidly expanding outreach programs on college campuses with a new study by a Hebrew University professor.

Many young American Jews are seeking authentic and meaningful Jewish experiences, and are not, as “common myth” would have it, defiantly breaking away from their heritage, said the year-long study, conducted by Barry Chazan and unveiled at the New York office of George Rohr, a businessman who has given tens of millions of dollars to Chabad over the years.

This was the first effort by researchers to examine the inner workings of the campus Chabad house – the Lubavitch movement’s Jewish outreach site. The study, “A Home Away From Home,” focused on Jewish students who had joined the Chabad rabbi and his wife for Sabbath dinner several times, and recorded observations of the dinners and the students’ impressions. Altogether researchers observed 22 dinners on five campuses and interviewed 33 students.

Crown Heights JCC Leader Sued

Board members say chairman owes council millions; Rubashkin claims row is over bet din.

A state court in Brooklyn is weighing whether to require the chairman of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council to turn over financial records to his officers after two directors alleged that he has misdirected funds for personal gain.

But Rabbi Moshe Rubashkin emphatically denies the charges, insisting ‘not a dollar, not 50 cents, not a penny’ was misused. And at least one communal leader says the charges appear ‘baseless.’

Judge Francois Rivera of state Supreme Court earlier this month called on Rabbi Rubashkin to show why an order should not be issued by the court requiring him to open the books. The motion also prevented the installation of three rabbis to a bet din whose election on April 30 is in dispute.

Florida Teen Honored On Capitol Hill

Daniel Wultz, the Florida teenager wounded in a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv in April was honored by family, friends and political leaders on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Political leaders within the House of Representatives and the Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, were on hand in Washington to memorialize the teen and his life.

Full transcript of Olmerts speech in the Extended Article.

Fox Chapel Chabad signs lease on building in Aspinwall

Chabad of Fox Chapel has signed a lease on a building that will become the new Fox Chapel Center of Jewish Life.

The newly leased building is located on Freeport Road just past the intersection with Fox Chapel Road, about a half mile from the Waterworks shopping area and near an exit off Route 28.

Chabad, a Lubavitch organization, opened its Fox Chapel branch almost five years ago. Since then it has operated primarily out of the home of its directors, Rabbi Eli and Shternie Rosenfeld.

Appointment of Monitor Adds Teeth to Fight Against Anti-Semitism

The U.S. State Department just added a set of teeth to its fledgling office monitoring anti-Semitism.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday named Gregg Rickman, a dogged investigator who has tracked the Swiss banks’ role in the Holocaust, as the first special envoy for monitoring and combating anti-Semitism around the world. Jewish leaders unanimously agreed that the appointment would push the office monitoring anti-Semitism, in existence barely 18 months, to the department’s front burner.

“It creates a strong point person that will be able to coordinate all the different parts of our government that deal with anti-Semitism,” said Mark Levin, executive director of NCSJ, a group that advocates for Jews in the former Soviet Union and that lobbied for the position.