PAGE 24 NEW YORK
People wait in line to purchase lottery tickets at the Port Authority bus station in New York May 17, 2013.
New York Couple Wins $10M On Lottery Scratch-off Ticket (VIN) Lottery officials say a New York couple has won $10 million on a scratch-off ticket, the single largest cash prize for scratch-off games in the state lottery’s history. State officials say the winning ticket was purchased at a convenience store in Poughkeepsie (poh-KIHP’-see), about 70 miles north of New York City. The New York State Gaming Commission says the ticket was part of the special 50th anniversary instant game, “$10,000,000 Cash.” The game’s tickets cost $30 each. The winning couple’s names haven’t been released. Lottery officials will present the couple with an oversized prize check Thursday afternoon.
JCCs in New York, Wisconsin hit with latest bomb threats (JNS.org) Jewish community centers (JCCs) in New York and Wisconsin received bomb threats Tuesday in the latest wave of threats targeting the American Jewish community. The Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester in Brighton, N.Y., was evacuated after an email alert went out to employees and members notifying them of the bomb threat. Around 75 people were in the building at the time. The threat against the Rochester-area JCC came just a week after headstones were overturned in a Jewish cemetery in that city. Additionally, the Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center in Milwaukee, Wis., was forced to temporarily close after receiving an emailed bomb threat overnight. The same JCC has been targeted by two other bomb threats this year, both of which were phoned in.
845 Union St in Brooklyn
Pricey Parking Spot in Brooklyn on the Market for $300,000 (VIN) A parking space at a garage in Park Slope, Brooklyn, is on the market for $300,000. NBC New York (http://bit. ly/2lXUNsi ) says the last one there sold for $280,000. A neighborhood resident, Julie Hollar, says the sky-high parking costs more than her parents paid for their house.
NEWS IN REVIEW Julia Kite of the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives says it’s also around the current price of a condo in another part of Brooklyn. But it’s the new normal since developers tore down a 300-space garage to build new homes. Karen Ratner says she paid more than $100,000 for her spot a few years ago. She says there’s just “no other parking available.”
NATIONAL Iranian attack vessels threaten US ship; Netanyahu and Trump speak on Iran (JNS.org) Multiple Iranian Revolutionary Guard fast-attack vessels came close to a U.S. Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz Saturday, forcing the ship to change direction, an American official said Monday. According to the U.S. official, the Iranian boats came within 600 yards of the UNNS Invincible, a tracking ship, Reuters reported. The Invincible was also being accompanied by three ships from the British Royal Navy at the time. The official said that the naval vessel attempted to contact the Iranian ships over radio, but there was no response, and the interaction was “unsafe and unprofessional.” Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke briefly Monday evening in a conversation that primarily focused on the Iranian threat. According to a readout provided by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Israeli and American leaders spoke about Iran’s nuclear ambitious and its regional aggressiveness, as well as “about the need to work together to deal with these dangers.”
Israeli lawsuits prompt Facebook to enable reporting incitement (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Brooklyn District Court last week began hearing arguments for two federal lawsuits brought against Facebook by an Israeli advocacy group. The Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center filed the combined billion-dollar legal action in October 2015 on behalf of American victims of Hamas terrorist attacks and 20,000 Israeli plaintiffs, over claims that Facebook facilitates incitement against Israelis. The organization is also asking the court in New York to issue an injunction against Facebook to remove the inciting pages, monitor the methods of incitement and block them, and hold the social networking giant responsible for allowing terrorists on its network. According to the plaintiffs, Facebook knowingly provides sources of support for terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, which violates American anti-terrorism laws. Shortly before last week’s hearing began, Facebook provided its users with the option of reporting inciting content and organizations involved in “terror or organized crime.”
The Jewish Voice
The two lawsuits were submitted by attorneys Robert J. Tolchin and Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Shurat HaDin’s founder.
Think tank calls on Silicon Valley foundation to halt funding to extremist groups (JNS.org) The Middle East Forum (MEF) think tank is urging the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) to stop funding extremist groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Islamic Relief. The SVCF gave eight donations totaling $330,524 to those two groups, MEF’s Islamist Watch project found. “When the SVCF funds Islamist groups, it is betraying those moderate Muslims working to free their faith from the grip of extremists, who have learned to shroud their work under the guise of charitable endeavor,” Gregg Roman, director of MEF, said last week. CAIR received five donations from the California-based foundation totaling $132,933, while Islamic Relief received three donations totaling $197,591, MEF said. “CAIR and Islamic Relief regularly give platforms to speakers who incite hatred against women, Jews, Christians and the LGBTQ community,” MEF said. CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator during the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial. In 2014, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a largely devout Muslim country, designated CAIR a terrorist organization. Islamic Relief is a designated terrorist entity both in Israel and the UAE. Banks such as UBS and HSBC have closed Islamic Relief bank accounts over concerns about terrorism financing. In response, SVCF’s CEO Emmett Carson said, “We are proud of our support for CAIR and the work they do to enhance understanding of Muslims and Islam, encourage dialogue and protect the civil liberties of American Muslims. We stand by the grants we have made to CAIR and to Islamic Relief.”
Jewish leaders meet March 3 with FBI Director James Comey and other federal officials to discuss the recent wave of antiJewish threats and attacks in the U.S. In response to the incidents, two major Jewish umbrella organizations announced the formation of the new National Security Advisory Council. Credit: Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
New Jewish security council formed in wake of anti-Semitic threats and attacks in US (JNS.org) In response to the recent nationwide wave of an-
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ti-Jewish attacks and threats, two major Jewish umbrella organizations Thursday announced the formation of the new National Security Advisory Council. The Secure Community Network (SCN)—a security initiative run by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and the Conference of the Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations—created a council whose members include a former deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. “SCN leaders and council members have been working closely with DHS, FBI and local law enforcement, as well as congressional and administration officials, to ensure ongoing threats and incidents targeting the Jewish community remain a priority and all law enforcement and other relevant resources are leveraged in thwarting these events,” said a statement from the organizations involved with the initiative.
Trump starts Congress speech by noting wave of anti-Jewish threats and attacks (JNS.org) President Donald Trump began his address to Congress Feb. 28 by calling attention to the recent nationwide wave of anti-Jewish threats and attacks. “Tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our nation’s path toward civil rights and the work that still remains,” Trump said. “Recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week’s shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.” In his speech, Trump also noted how his administration “reaffirmed our unbreakable alliance with the state of Israel” by recently imposing “new sanctions on entities and individuals who support Iran’s ballistic missile program,” following Iran’s ballistic missile test in defiance of a United Nations resolution.
leader, and will reportedly not visit the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership in Ramallah. “Contrary to expectations that Modi would include Palestine in his itinerary too, like many ministers did in the past, he will be traveling only to Israel,” the Times of India reported, noting that the move underscores the “di-hyphenation” of India’s relations with Israel and the Palestinians. The PA’s envoy to India, Adnan Abu Alhaija, said he was “shocked” by Modi’s decision to skip a Ramallah visit, but that PA President Mahmoud Abbas will likely visit India before Modi’s Israel trip. Modi is expected to visit Israel on his return from the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, during the second week of July. The Indian government said it believes the standalone visit to Israel will further “underline the significance of India’s special ties with the Jewish nation.” The visit will mark 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two allies.
Air India (plane pictured) announced plans to launch direct flights between Tel Aviv and New Delhi. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
India’s largest airline begins direct flights between Tel Aviv and New Delhi
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) India’s largest airline, Air India, announced Thursday plans to launch direct flights between Tel Aviv and New Delhi. The airline plans to offer three weekly flights on the route, which is expected to become operational in May. The route is expected to serve the increasing number of Indian tourists visiting Israel and Israelis traveling to India as a result of the strong ties developed between the two countries. Direct flights between Tel Aviv and New Delhi are currently only INTERNATIONAL available on Israel’s flagship airIndian PM Modi to line, El Al. visit Israel in July, According to Israel Airports will reportedly skip Authority data, travel between Palestinian territories Israel and India has grown sig(JNS.org) Indian Prime Min- nificantly in recent years, and the ister Narendra Modi will make number of passengers flying dia historic visit to Israel this sum- rectly between the two countries mer, the first by a sitting Indian reached 158,000 last year.
MARCH 10, 2017 Israel notches stunning victory over South Korea in World Baseball Classic (JNS.org) Israel shocked the baseball world Monday, beating heavily favored host nation South Korea 2-1 in 10 innings in the opening game of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament. With Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred in attendance at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Israel’s Scott Burcham broke a 1-1 tie with a single up the middle against Korea’s Chang-Yong Lim that allowed the go-head runner to score. “Definitely the most stressful game I’ve ever been a part of. But it was worth it,” New York Mets prospect Ty Kelly wrote on Twitter after the game. The Israeli victory was the first game of the 16-team WBC international tournament. Israel and Korea compete in Pool A, which also includes Taiwan and the Netherlands. Most of the baseball players representing Israel are Jewish Americans, with only two members of the team possessing Israeli passports. According to WBC rules, players can compete for any country in which they are eligible for citizenship. Under Israeli law, all Jews receive automatic citizenship.
MIDDLE EAST
Israelis gather at the Rose Garden in front of the Knesset legislature to smoke marijuana, marking the international “4/20” marijuana celebration day and advocating for Israel to legalize the drug. On Sunday, the Israeli government voted in favor of decriminalizing recreational marijuana use. Credit: Hadas Parush/Flash90.
Israeli government votes to decriminalize recreational marijuana use (JNS.org) The Israeli government voted in favor of decriminalizing recreational marijuana use, joining several other European countries and U.S. states that have adopted similar measures. At Israel’s weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a team of experts had studied the issue