Berlin denies reported submarine sales to Egypt would affect ties with Jerusalem

Germany rejected claims Monday that its reported sale of two submarines to Egypt would harm ties with Israel.

“Nothing has changed on the German position on Israel and the commitment the federal government has to Israel’s security,” government’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said in Berlin.

Last week, Egypt’s new navy chief said Cairo had signed an agreement with Berlin to buy two German-built Type 209 attack submarines.

Yedioth Ahronoth had reported that the reported deal caused friction between Israel and Germany. The paper also claimed that Jerusalem sought to torpedo the deal, a report that was dismissed by the Egyptian navy.

“The only two parties determining the fate of this deal are the German and Egyptian governments and not Israeli newspapers which try to destabilize security within Egypt,” an unnamed Egyptian navy official said.

Seibert said German secrecy laws prevented him from commenting on the reports.

Arms exports need to be approved by the Federal Security Council.

 

In 2008, Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a speech in the Knesset that Israel’s security is part of her country’s “raison d’être.” Therefore, she vowed, “Israel’s security will never be open to negotiation.”

Israel currently uses three Dolphin-class submarines, which have been fully or partially funded by the German government. A fourth was transferred to the Israeli navy in May.

  Germany is due to deliver a fifth submarine in 2018, and the contract for a sixth was signed recently. According to foreign media reports, Israel’s submarine fleet is equipped with nuclear capabilities.

NYPD: Woman raped in Riverside Park

New York - Police say a 19-year-old woman was attacked near Dinosaur Park Playground in Riverside Park in Manhattan early Monday morning.

The NYPD say the young woman reported the rape at around 2:30 a.m. and that the assault happened on the far end of the park.

The Special Victims Unit spent the day surveying the park taking photos and collecting evidence -- in fact, what appeared the contents of the victim's purse were scattered about.

Fox 5 News sources say 19-year-old woman was able to call police from her cell phone and report that this crime occurred. She is currently at St Luke's Hospital in stable condition.

The concern here: The lack of information available to both police-- and the public.

The communication arm of the police department says detectives have very little info to go on. They don't yet have a suspect's description and any information regarding what happened prior to this crime.

Police also say they're not sure if the victim knew her attacker.

These are all questions police are looking to answer and they hope the victim will provide those answers.

For those who live in the neighborhood they too want answers because they say this crime affects their quality of life.

NYPD took my Benz for joy ride while I was in jail

Who could resist such a sweet ride?

While a fraud suspect whose Mercedes convertible was seized by cops rotted in a jail cell, an NYPD employee jumped behind the wheel of the sexy sports car and took it on a wild joy ride around Manhattan.

Rashad Lewis, 25, claims that whoever busted his car out of a police impound lot in Queens added insult to injury by not only racking up a $50 ticket for flying through a red light but also left the $50,000 car a lot worse for wear.

“My back window was broken, my driver’s-side door was keyed, and my bumper was scratched up,” the college student said. “They were driving my car with the windows down and having a ball joy riding my vehicle.”

His story is backed up by NYPD records obtained by The Post that show police vouchered Lewis’ Mercedes-Benz in “good” condition at 1:23 a.m. on Aug. 4.

About 13 hours later, a traffic camera snapped a photo of the car running a red light on 12th Avenue and West 34th Street at 2:12 p.m. — while its owner was still in custody and the car officially in the hands of the NYPD.

Lewis, who lives in Queens, said the saga began the day before, at 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 3, when cops pulled him over in front of Bloomingdale’s.

“The cops said I ran two red lights,” Lewis recalled.

While searching the vehicle, the officers found 13 bogus credit cards, police said.

Lewis and his passenger, his buddy Gregg Humphreys, 22, were hauled off in handcuffs on charges of criminal possession of a forged instrument.

“I was pulled over and arrested and my car was seized,’’ Lewis said.

“I went through the whole process. I was at the precinct for 12 or 13 hours. I went to Manhattan booking.

“I posted bail and was released the next week.’’

That’s when he got the biggest shock.

“While everything is going on, I received the red-light ticket in the mail on Aug. 15,’’ he complained.

“My first reaction was, ‘Are you guys serious?’ I had a whole bunch of emotions running through my mind. I felt violated. I don’t know if they could have committed a crime in my vehicle.”

“I was really shocked. I was mad,” he said.

“How are they supposed to enforce the law when they’re breaking it?” said Lewis, a junior at Berkeley College.

The traffic-light camera photo did not show the face of the driver who pulled off the sophomoric stunt. And it was not known whether the joy rider was a cop or a civilian NYPD employee.

Lewis’ lawyer, Marvyn Kornberg, said that, at the least, his client has no intention of paying the ticket.

“This individual should not be responsible for the payment of the fine, and the Police Department employee driving his car through a red light in a non-emergency situation should be required to pay the summons,” Kornberg said.

The NYPD refused to officially comment.

But a police source argued that Lewis had no complaints when he retrieved the vehicle from the Springfield Gardens Auto Pound in Queens, where it had been for five days before he posted $3,500 bail for the credit-card rap.

A suspicious Lewis said that after his ordeal, he’s not sure he even wants to keep the car.

“I just want to get rid of my vehicle,’’ he said.

“I’m scared to drive around in that car. I don’t know if they put a bug or something in it.”

NY POST

Crown Heights - Mirth turns to murder: 2 die as W. Indian fest ends

Violence erupted hours after the West Indian Day Parade ended in Brooklyn yesterday, leaving two dead and three others injured, authorities said.

The bloodshed marred what had been a joyous day of dancing, food and celebration of Caribbean culture as the lively parade moved along Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights.

A 26-year-old man was stabbed in the neck at about 6:30 p.m. in front of Sing Wah Kitchen on St. Johns Place, only two blocks from the parade route.

The victim was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he died. A suspect was taken into custody at the scene, cops said.

About 30 minutes earlier, a 27-year-old man was knifed in the neck at Bedford Avenue and Eastern Parkway, cops said. He, too, died at Kings County.

And a man, 32, and a woman, 24, were each shot in the hip at about 5:15 p.m. on Eastern Parkway near New York Avenue, cops said.

“The young lady was dancing in the street and there was loud music coming from the truck,” said one witness.

“At first, she thought she got stabbed. But when she pulled up her clothes and looked at the wound, she realized she was shot, and she freaked a little bit.

“She wasn’t hurt badly. She was able to walk over and speak to the cop, and the ambulance came and took her away. It happened very quickly and nobody heard the shot.”

Also, a man was shot the arm at Troy Avenue and Empire Boulevard, cops said.

Earlier, the packed crowd enjoyed the festive sounds and sights, including women in glitzy bikinis and headdresses.

The festivities “remind me of back home,” said Ann Marie Jones, who hails from Jamaica.

“The colors are so beautiful, they remind me of the vibrant tropical colors. They cheer me up.”

Nine-year-old Melina Noel was waving Haiti’s flag and shaking a tambourine while dancing.

“I like the bands, dancing and the music. It just makes me want to dance,” Melina said.

“I’m having a good time. I’m going to keep coming back.”

Shelly Silver Asked Vito Lopez To Resign

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver revealed Monday that he asked Vito Lopez to resign from the Legislature over a sexual-harassment scandal that has tainted both their legacies.

In an interview with the Daily News on the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., Silver said he called Lopez on Friday to ask him to step down.

“He basically was inaudible,” Silver told The News of the powerful Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman’s response. “I got the impression he didn’t appreciate my advice.”

It was Silver’s first comments on the Lopez scandal since he acknowledged he made a mistake by authorizing a secret deal to settle sexual harassment claims against Lopez.

Silver waited over a week after the scandal broke to call Lopez — and a few more days after that before publicly revealing that he made the call.

Rita Pasarell, 30, and Leah Hebert, 29, both former members of Lopez’s Assembly staff, were given $103,080 in taxpayer money in June to avoid further litigation.

Lopez, 71, pitched in another $32,000 of his own money to hush up the claims against him.

“We made a mistake. I acknowledge a mistake was made,” Silver told The News.

Silver insisted that no other secret settlements have been made during his 18-year tenure as Speaker. He also vowed to see that no more confidential settlements are made in the future and promised to refer all future sexual harassment claims against lawmakers to the Assembly ethics committee.

Yet he defended the hush-hush deal in the Lopez case, saying he did it to protect the victims and save the state money from a potential $1.2 million lawsuit.

“We always wanted to do what we thought were the wishes of the victims,” Silver said. “In this case, that was the intended motive. We believed at the time that the victims wanted a quiet solution to this matter.”

News of the covert settlement exploded Aug. 24 when Silver revealed that he was stripping Lopez of his Assembly seniority and leadership positions in the wake of an ethics committee finding that the party boss had physically and sexually harassed two other staffers.

The committee found that Lopez groped and kissed the two women against their consent and used “pervasive and unwelcome verbal conduct against them." The identities of the women have not been disclosed.

Lopez has agreed to step aside as Brooklyn Democratic party chair but says he is committed to running for reelection to the Assembly this fall.

By Kenneth Lovett In Charlotte, N.c. AND Bill Hutchinson / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Caroline Starkman case: Bergen Country Shul Offers $25.000 Reward for Information

Missing: Caroline Starkman

Congregation Ahavas Torah in Englewood New Jersey has announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the location of a missing community member, 18-year-old Caroline Starkman.

The Touro College student was last seen on July 11, 2012 near W. 24th Street in Coney Island after spending a day on a beach with a friend.

The shuls rav, Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, signals police do not have any real leads.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Barry Miller at the Englewood, NJ Police Department, (201) 568–4875 or (201) 871–6416. All calls will be kept confidential.

Please be Mispallel for Chana Eliana bas Chava Razel.

Nochi Dankner company faces money woes

Nochi Dankner

JERUSALEM — One of Israel's wealthiest businessmen may quickly be going from riches to rags, and experts warn he could drag Israel's economy down with him.

Nochi Dankner, a favorite of Israel's business community who is often credited with helping rescue Israel's economy at the height of a Palestinian uprising, is struggling to keep his mammoth holding company above water.

IDB Holding Corp., which controls a large piece of the Israeli economic pie - a large cellphone company, a major supermarket chain, an insurance company and a cement producer monopoly, among other concerns - announced over the weekend that it may not be able to pay tens of millions of dollars of debts in the coming year.

The plight of Dankner has raised concern that his bondholders could lose on their investments and Israelis could see their retirement funds, heavily exposed to IDB investments, in danger.

"We are now going through difficult times. It's not easy for any of us," Dankner began a letter to employees last weekend.

Israel's finance minister, Yuval Steinitz, sought to douse the flames, estimating a "less than one in a thousand" chance that Israeli citizens' pensions would be affected.

Economists forecast a much gloomier picture should Dankner's company founder.

Because so much of Israel's economy is controlled by Dankner's holding company, Israel is in more danger than the U.S. economy was in during the credit crisis of the late 2000s, said Daniel Doron, director of the Israel Center for Social and Economic Progress.

"It's a domino effect," said Doron. "Creditors would lose money. A lot of people would lose jobs. It would be a great tragedy."

The 58-year-old billionaire's downturn has come swiftly.

Born to an aristocratic Israeli family with a powerful investment firm, Dankner made a mark in 1999 when he sold his shares in the firm to his relatives for $100 million.

His timing was right. A year later, a Palestinian uprising erupted, paralyzing Israel's economy and causing the shares in his family's business to tank.

At the height of the uprising, Dankner and his partners borrowed millions of dollars from Israeli banks and bought IDB Holding Corp.

"No one understood who would buy during the crisis ... it was a deal that amazed everyone," said Stella Korin Lieber, a commentator at the Globes financial newspaper. "He signaled the end of the crisis."

Under Dankner's leadership, IDB became Israel's largest holding company, and Dankner became a celebrity.

Last year, he garnered 11th place on Forbes Magazine's ranking of wealthy Israelis. He was known to travel in a private jet and to lunch with his longtime friend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

His public image was as a handsome, mild-mannered man with a spiritual side, traveling to Nepal to study Buddhism and forging a close relationship with a Kabbalistic healer in Israel known as the "X-ray Rabbi."

In 2006, as rockets rained down on northern Israel during its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Dankner visited Israelis in bomb shelters and donated large sums for their welfare.

Then he became overconfident, Korin Lieber said.

In 2007, he and another Israeli billionaire invested in plans to build a Las Vegas casino when U.S. real estate prices were at their peak, and the project quickly tanked.

From 2008-2010, a Dankner subsidiary bought shares in the Swiss multinational bank Credit Suisse, but last year lost millions of dollars in the deal.

He also bought Maariv, an unprofitable Israeli daily newspaper, in what was seen as more of an ego trip than a smart business decision.

Then last summer, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest the country's high cost of living.

Dankner's picture was plastered on protesters' posters - one of many business tycoons accused of monopolizing much of the Israeli market, keeping prices high.

Food prices came down, the government facilitated more cellphone companies to enter the market, and Dankner's supermarket chain and mobile phone company suffered losses.

"He didn't pay attention to the changes that were taking place in the business world," Korin Lieber said. "He had a lot of arrogance and conviction - 'we will be fine.'"

Dankner has vowed to meet an $8.8 million payment to one group of bondholders this week.

The company owes about $425 million to bondholders and $75 million to Israeli banks, Israel's Haaretz daily reported. IDB Holding Corp. is asking for more time to find another investor for the company.

At a meeting of bondholders Monday, one bondholder told Israel's Channel 10 TV that Dankner should dip into in his own wealth to repay his debts.

Jewish organization slams Austrian police

VIENNA — A Jewish organization monitoring anti-Semitic incidents worldwide says it has written Austria’s interior ministry to complain that police ignored a rabbi’s plea for help while being harassed on the street.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s letter follows a police complaint filed last week by a rabbi who said he was sworn at for being a Jew by a soccer fan who then raised his arm in the Hitler salute.

The incident occurred ahead of a football match between Austria’s SK Rapid and Greece’s PAOK Saloniki.

The complaint says that instead of detaining the man, one of the officers smiled and said, ‘‘Come on, it’s a football game!’’

The Jewish organization’s letter says that through his actions, the police officer turned into an ‘‘accomplice to the perpetrator.’’

Interior Ministry and police officials said Monday that the case was being investigated.

Guma Aguiar case: Coast Guard reports offer new details on missing millionaire

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Among the belongings found on missing multimillionaire Guma Aguiar's boat after the sea delivered it to shore without him: A leather prayer box that holds religious texts.

Left at home: His watch and wedding ring.

Notes compiled by members of the U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue team only add to questions about Aguiar's state of mind when he took what may have been his final voyage.

They are a rough profile of the man described as "unstable," and "on medication for depression" whose whereabouts remain a mystery more than two months after he vanished.

The Coast Guard reports — released in response to a Freedom of Information request by the Sun Sentinel — offer new details about the 35-year-old investor who was last seen steering his boat into bad weather and six foot swells on the evening of June 19.

Yet these "watchstander" logs, compiled by multiple officers involved in the 48 hour air and sea search for Guma, do not prove a planned suicide or anything else, said Commander Darren Caprara,chief of response for U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami.

"They are comments, based on interviews and investigators' notes," Caprara said. "The only facts we had were GPS coordinates. We saw him on camera, getting on a boat and we knew where it went and where it beached itself without him."

The logs say "security cameras caught him leaving his house with a purpose" and "not in a good frame of mind due to financial [sic]."

Also noted, in different handwriting: "Jewish prayer book [sic] – not usually there" and "Argument w/wife over divorce//left watch, wedding ring."

And this awful notation: "All PFDs (life jackets) accounted for."

Aguiar's 31-foot Jupiter center console boat floated onto the sand in front of Fort Lauderdale's Elbo Room beachfront bar, a ghost ship with engines running, at 1:15 a.m. June 20, five hours after he'd left home.

"We don't truly know where something went wrong," Caprara said. "We ask hundreds of questions to try and get any small detail to aid our search. What we are really trying to get to is what he could have done out there."

Caprara said the leather box — used by Jews during weekday prayers and called a tefillin — "is just another lead. It could have meant he had a resounding desire to live, and was a highly spiritual person."

Aguiar's mother said she was unfamiliar with her son's rituals while he was boating.

"I can only speculate that when he left the house, he was upset and took things that gave him solace," Ellen Aguiar said.

The notes don't list sources or authors, and not all are correct. For instance, there was not an open divorce case in Broward County court.

But Aguiar did struggle with mental health, relatives have said, and he was stressed by massive lawsuits that threatened his wealth and family harmony.

Did he have reasons to disappear, or was he depressed enough to end his life?

Friends say he loved his wife and children, and can't imagine he'd intentionally leave them.

More than two months later, Aguiar's whereabouts are still unknown and he remains a missing person case for Fort Lauderdale police.

"My son, who I love very much, is missing," Ellen Aguiar said. "I continue to pray that wherever he is, he is well, and at peace."

Hasidic director aims to ‘Fill the Void’ about insular community with new film

VENICE, Italy  — Israeli director Rama Burshtein provides an intimate look inside the private world of Tel Aviv’s Hasidic community in the film, “Fill the Void,” which premiered this weekend in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

A Hasidic Jew herself, Burshtein said she wanted to create a portrait of family life within the community without presenting it in conflict with the secular world.

“The Orthodox world is so interesting it does not need to cope with the secular,” Burshtein told a news conference Sunday. “It can be very interesting and the drama can be very strong inside.”

The film is about an 18-year-old girl named Shira who struggles with whether she wants to marry her brother-in-law, Yochay, after her sister Esther dies giving birth.

The decision is all Shira’s, despite the strict formality within the community, and the movie ultimately is a story about facing a difficult decision and becoming a woman.

“It’s all about emotions and choices and what leads you to do what you do,” said actress Hadas Yaron, who played Shira. “I’m also young. But Shira is different from me because she is not familiar with all these feelings she experiences for the first time.”

 

The movie shows intimate rituals of the Hasidic community, from Esther’s funeral to her infant son’s circumcision ceremony immediately after, Sabbath dinner and the workings of the matchmaker, who helps brokers marriages as girls reach Shira’s age.

The community, while residing inside the bustling and secular city of Tel Aviv, is very self-contained. In one scene, as the men study, someone gets up to close the windows that allow sounds of secular Tel Aviv to drift inside.

“This moment in the movie really gives the idea of being in the environment,” said Yiftach Klein, who plays the brother-in-law Yochay.

Burshein, 45, was born in New York and graduated from film school in Jerusalem in 1994. During that period, she became deeply religious. She has since been making films within the Orthodox community to help promote self-expression.

“I love this world. I chose this world. I was not born to this world,” she said.

She said, however, that the Hasidic world did not appear inviting when she first contemplated it from the outside 20 years ago.

“Part of that was because how I thought they saw women,” she said. Once inside, however, she said she found she liked traditional roles between men and women.

“I love my role as a woman. I feel it is true. I chose it. It doesn’t stop me from doing films, but the way I see the home, between a man and a woman, I love it like this. It is more sexy.”