Secret Service agent leaves her gun in the bathroom of Mitt Romney's plane

TAMPA — A Secret Service agent left a surprise in the bathroom of Mitt Romney’s plane Wednesday — her gun.

The plane was shuttling the GOP challenger from the convention in Tampa to a quick campaign stop in Indianapolis when the agent used the water closet and had her moment of mile-high forgetfulness.

Her piece was later found in the plane’s privy by a reporter and eventually returned to the member of Romney’s security detail who’d left it behind.

“We take the care and control of equipment, especially firearms, very seriously,” said Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan.

“The incident is being investigated, and it will be handled internally and in an appropriate manner.”

The unnamed agent was not on the return flight to Tampa, officials said.

Israel’s chief rabbi warns Dutch populist politician over kosher slaughter ban

Israel's leading rabbi has warned Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders that his party's support for a ban of ritual slaughter of animals in the Netherlands is "anti-Semitic" and could drive away the country's Jewish community.

Wilders rose to prominence in the Netherlands denouncing the growing influence of Islam in the West, calling for a ban against Muslim immigrants, a halt to the construction of mosques and a ban on Muslim face-veils.

Some of his most outspoken supporters are in the conservative, pro-Israeli movement in the United States. Wilders calls himself Israel's "greatest friend" and has also proposed creating a national Dutch holiday to commemorate the victims of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

In a letter to Wilders on Tuesday, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Wednesday, Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Yona Metzger, called on Wilders' Freedom Party to stop backing a ban on ritual slaughter.

It is the strongest public condemnation yet of Wilders' position on the policy and comes two weeks before the Netherlands holds a general election September 12 in which he is expected to take a sizeable portion of the vote.

"It is obvious that one cannot be at the same time a friend of Israel and the Jewish people and on the other hand support an anti-Jewish law," Metzger wrote.

"By denying Jews to live according to the Torah you will eventually force them to leave the Netherlands where they enjoyed religious freedom for centuries."

Metzger wrote that he was "shocked and upset to learn that your party once again has adopted a total ban on ritual slaughter in its platform."

"This is the classical anti-Semitic way our rites have been targeted and demonized throughout history," he wrote.

Wilders has transformed the political climate in the Netherlands and his anti-Islam, anti-euro Freedom Party was the third largest in the most recent elections.

Recent polls show Wilders' party winning between 15 and 19 seats in the 150-seat parliament, down from the 24 seats he won in the 2010 election.

Wilders was not immediately available to comment on the letter.

A bill proposed by an animal rights party stating that livestock must be stunned before being slaughtered passed through the lower of house of parliament in June 2011, but did not make it through the senate, where a compromise was reached allowing the practice to continue.

Both Muslim halal and Jewish kosher laws require animals to be conscious when they are put to death. Some 3,500 cows are slaughtered annually according to the Jewish kosher ritual in the Netherlands.

The loss of backing from prominent Jewish leaders could be damaging to Wilders, who has enjoyed support from pro-Israeli and anti-Islam organizations in the United States.

He has received death threats because of his anti-Islam views and has around-the-clock security.

Manfred Gerstenfeld, a prominent Israeli author, said in a telephone interview from Jerusalem that the banning of ritual slaughter has been used in Europe to deter Jews.

"Are you going to support a guy who is at forefront of the anti-Semitism movement in Europe?," he said.

The Netherlands, where Anne Frank hid as a teenager in an Amsterdam canal house until being murdered by the Nazis, had one of the highest rates of Jewish deportation during World War Two.

North Carolina Town Removes Anti-Israel Bus Ads

CHAPEL HILL -- City buses in the small college town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, were recently stripped of anti-Israel ads and are now at the center of a public debate concerning advertisements, national policy and local sensitivity.

On August 13, 98 buses operated by Chapel Hill Transit began displaying an ad calling for an end to US military aid for Israel. When some passengers complained about the ads, CHT removed them, according to a report in the Chapel Hill News.

But that move angered the ad’s sponsors as much as their appearance angered its detractors. The Chapel Hill town council plans to discuss the city’s policy for bus advertisements and decide if and how it applies to this situation.

The Church of Reconciliation, a local Presbyterian church with some 350 members, sponsored the ad, which is part of a national campaign coordinated by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

It shows two older men holding their grandchildren and carries the caption “Join with us. Build peace with justice and equality. End U.S. military aid to Israel.” One of the men in the photograph is a Palestinian who claims that his West Bank home has been demolished five times. The other man is a member of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

The local initiative was launched by the church’s Salaam-Shalom group.

The church claims that the ads cost it approximately $1,500 to print, and an additional $1,200 to run on the town buses for one year. Pastor Mark Davidson of the church was quoted by Chapel Hill News saying that it did not “want to engage in anything that was disrespectful or offensive… [but rather] wanted something that would get people thinking.”

Chapel Hill Transit advertising policy states that all “political, religious, or ‘issue related’ advertising” must contain a conspicuous paid advertising disclaimer, which the Church of Reconciliation ads did not have. Davidson said the church is willing to comply with the condition in order to have the ads return to the buses.

The transit policy also reserves the right to exclude advertising in order to “maintain an image of neutrality on political matters and other noncommercial issues that are the subject of public debate and concern.”

Penny Rich, the only Jewish town council member, said in an email to Chapel Hill News that the town has a responsibility to understand the connection that Jews have with Israel, and that it is necessary to “extend our respect by not accepting political ads that will offend our Jewish citizens.”

Local citizen Dan May wrote to the town council that he thought the ad violated the transit authority’s viewpoint-neutral restriction, and that CHT was “creating the type of environment where captive riders are forced to view and endure such divisive and emotionally charged material.”

One of the members of the town council, Jim Ward, acknowledged that the issue walks a very delicate line between respecting the First Amendment right to freedom of speech while “maintaining a positive/neutral ambiance on and about our buses and transit system,” according to the local paper.

The Church of Reconciliation is a Presbyterian USA church. In July leaders of the Presbyterian USA movement narrowly voted down a proposal to divest from three companies that do business with Israel and by a wider margin rejected labeling Israel’s presence in the West Bank as “apartheid.” However, they did approve a motion to boycott all products made in the West Bank.

Chapel Hill has approximately 57,000 residents, more than half of whom are students at the University of North Carolina. According to the local Jewish Federation website, there are approximately 6,000 Jews living in Chapel Hill and the adjacent city of Durham.

Pending the decision by the town council, the Church of Reconciliation expressed hope that the ads will be back up by this weekend.

“Chapel Hill needs to be the kind of place that can have a strong, robust discussion of the issues of the day,” said Davidson. “We don’t need a sterile public square.”

Modiin Illit: 4-year-old found dead in car

Boy found unconscious in back of nursery school minibus; MDA paramedics pronounce him dead at the scene. 

A four-year-old boy was found unconscious in the back of a parked nursery school minibus in Modiin Illit Thursday.

Magen David Adom paramedics who arrived at the scene had no choice but to pronounce him dead.

The circumstances of the incident remain unclear at this time. The police are investigating.

According to initial details, the MDA emergency dispatch received a call saying there was unconscious child in a parked car at 1 pm.

EMTs were scrambled to the scene and found the child dead.

 

Modi’in Illit Zaka Commander Shmuel Segal confirms the child was already dead prior to his arrival.

Moti Fisher, commander of MDA services in Modi’in Illit explained he was the first on the scene with a physician and while they began resuscitation, they realized there was nothing to be done.

It appears the child was in the sweltering vehicle for a number of hours, since 08:00.

He was discovered in the early afternoon hours.

LAPD officers slammed 'defenseless' woman in Tujunga

Michelle Jordan

Two Los Angeles police officers should be prosecuted after slamming a "defenseless woman" to the ground during a routine traffic stop, the woman's lawyer said.

"If a civilian were to assault a woman in this manner, he would go to jail," Sy Nazif wrote in an emailed statement to The Times late Tuesday.

"These officers must be held to the same standard. They have to be held accountable."

Los Angeles Police Department internal affairs detectives are investigating the Aug. 21 incident, which was captured on surveillance video.

The woman, 34-year-old Michelle Jordan of Sunland, was pulled over at a Del Taco restaurant on Foothill Boulevard in Tujunga because she was holding a cellphone while driving, said the officials, who asked not to be named because the internal inquiry was in its preliminary stages.

As the 5-foot 4-inch Jordan exited her vehicle, she allegedly failed to comply with officers' commands to get back into the car and was slammed to the ground by the male officers and placed in handcuffs, according to the officials.

While handcuffed, she was led to the officers' patrol car. Moments later, she was slammed again to the pavement, apparently with more force, by one of the officers, who was much larger than Jordan, the officials said.

Police Chief Charlie Beck said Tuesday in a statement that he had "serious concerns" about the use of force.

"We will investigate this thoroughly and hold our officers accountable for their actions," Beck said.

The LAPD disclosed the incident Tuesday evening in a statement, saying the officers had been assigned to desk duties while internal affairs detectives investigated the altercation.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (213) 485-1486 or the Foothill Division watch commander at (818) 756-8861

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

FBI Offers $5,000 Reward For "Ninja Robber" info

The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information that can identify the elusive "ninja robber," police verified.

The frantic man has robbed many convenience stores in South Florida dressed like a ninja.

His disguise consists of a black cloth with a small opening for his eyes.

But his erratic behavior while brandishing a gun is what worries authorities, said North Miami Beach Police Director Thomas Charney.

"It happens too often, the aggression is going up and an innocent person is going to get hurt," Charney told the Daily News. If the ninja robber is cornered, police fear that he may kill someone.

During one theft, a surveillance camera recorded the man pointing his gun directly against a teenaged girl's head while pushing her against the counter with his other hand.

The clerk quickly emptied his register into a plastic bag before the criminal vanished from the scene.

In another instance, the man leaped over the counter and smashed the cash register on the ground to open it. These unpredictable heists have escalated in frequency throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties, cops said.

Last night, around midnight, the ninja robber returned to a Kwik Stop he held up twice before.

But security precautions had increased since his previous robbery.

The clerk had to unlock the door with an electric switch, for people he deemed legitimate customers.

The thief didn't know that door was locked.

He approached the door and pulled a gun from his waistband, before he realized he couldn't enter and fled.

Once again, the surveillance camera captured footage, only this time it may prove more helpful for police.

"In last night's incident, his mask came down a bit so we got a batter look at his face," said Charney. Investigators are currently analyzing the footage for clues concerning his identity.

"We don't know who it is but we think one person is responsible.

But we have the possibility of a copycat, so we need to study the video to determine that it is, in fact, the same person," Charney said.

The armed man's first recorded robbery was of a Kwik Stop in North Miami Beach on May 12. Since then, he held at least 11 different convenience stores and gas stations.

Anyone with information concerning these robberies should contact the FBI's Miami Division at 305-944-9101.

Levi Aron sentenced to 40 years to life for murdering Leiby Kletzky

NEW YORK -A New York City hardware store clerk who pleaded guilty to kidnapping, killing and dismembering a lost little boy has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.

Levi Aron pleaded guilty this month to lesser charges in a deal that spared him a criminal trial and the possibility of life in prison without parole.

The 37-year-old said nothing Wednesday at his sentencing hearing. He will be eligible for parole in 40 years.

Aron admitted killing Leiby Kletzky, 8, in July 2011 after the boy asked him for directions in Brooklyn. Leiby got lost on his way home from day camp, the first time he had been allowed to walk alone.

Aron had the boy just over a day. Aron said that when he noticed fliers with the boy's photo, he panicked and suffocated the boy.

Berlin Rabbi And His Six-Year-Old Daughter Become Victims Of A Hate Crime

A Berlin rabbi was reportedly assaulted by youths in the city's western side on Tuesday, in what in a suspected anti-Semitic attack.

The man, 53, who was wounded in the attack, said the four men, reportedly of Arab extraction, who attack him also verbally abused his Jewish faith, and threatened to kill his six-year-old daughter, who was also present.

According to police, the four suspects fled the scene of the attack, which took place in the peaceful Schöneberg neighborhood. An investigation has been initiated by local police.

While it was not yet clear as to what was the precise motivation behind the attack, it is believed that it was anti-Semitic in nature.

President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany Dieter Graumann denounced the attack, sand said he was "dumbfounded."

According to Graumann, the incident represented an "assault on our values, ones of tolerance and liberalism."

Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit said that he denounced the "anti-Semitic attack in the harshest terms."

European Jewish Congress (EJC) President Dr. Moshe Kantor condemned yesterday’s attack.

“After the murders in Toulouse we expected one of two things to happen.

On the one hand it could have sent shock waves across Europe that there is a massive problem and it has to be dealt with, leading to a lessoning of these types of attacks,” Kantor said.

“The other option was that the reaction would be meager and it would send a message to extremists that life continues as normal.”

“Unfortunately, the second option seems to have prevailed. Life goes on in Europe after such events as the Toulouse murders, but for the Jewish community life does not return to normal.

The murders created a gaping wound in our communal psyche which is widened with every additional attack and the lack of a clear, concerted and institutional response means that it will not heal.”

Earlier this week, a Jewish student at Michigan State University said he was attacked at an off-campus party in what he is calling a hate crime.

Just before the assault, which broke his jaw, Zach Tennen said his attackers asked him if he was Jewish, according to reports.

Tennen, 19, a resident of suburban Detroit, said he answered in the affirmative. He told WDIV-TV in Detroit that his attackers also "were making Nazi and Hitler symbols and they said they were part of the KKK."

Tennen was knocked unconscious during the attack, which took place early Sunday morning near MSU's East Lansing campus. The assailants stapled his mouth shut through his gums.

Others at the party watched as Tennen called a taxi to take him to the hospital. His mouth was surgically wired shut.

His family has called the Anti-Defamation League regarding the assault. Tennen plans to return to classes in a week.

The university in an email statement referred all questions about the police investigation to the East Lansing Police Department, as the incident occurred off campus.

"Michigan State University's Student Affairs and Services office has reached out to the family of the student who said he was assaulted in East Lansing to provide the academic and other support the student needs," the statement also said.

The ADL expressed its "outrage and horror" at the incident.

"We are horrified by this violent assault and allegations that the student may have been viciously attacked because he was Jewish,” said Betsy Kellman, ADL Detroit Regional Director.

“We are confident that the East Lansing Police will thoroughly investigate this deeply troubling case and, given the allegations, treat it as a possible hate crime.

We hope the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice.”

Leonid Rozhetskin Body Found in Latvia

Leonid Rozhetskin

RIGA, Latvia — A body recently discovered in a forest is apparently that of a Russian-born U.S. businessman who disappeared in mysterious circumstances more than four years ago from his villa in a resort in Latvia, police said Wednesday.

The process of identification is still under way, but it could help police finally determine what happened to Leonid Rozhetskin, a millionaire who made his fortune in Moscow and spent much of his time in Los Angeles and London.

 

Police spokeswoman Sigita Pildava said DNA samples taken from a body found four weeks ago in a forest near the seaside town of Jurmala match those from Rozhetskin’s nearby villa taken after his disappearance on March 16, 2008.

“The DNA from the body in the forest ... coincides with that from his house in Jurmala,” she said. “But we cannot say yet that this means it is his body.”

Police will now compare the DNA samples to those of his family members to confirm the identification, she said. Pildava declined to give further details and could not say when the results of a post-mortem would be available.

Rozhetskin’s credit card was found on the corpse, police said.

Rozhetskin was seen leaving the villa with two unidentified men in the early hours of the morning, according to the Russian-language daily Telegraf.

When investigators searched the house later in the week they found traces of blood on the floor, which they said matched the DNA of his personal items.

Born in Leningrad — now St. Petersburg — Rozhetskin moved to the United States in 1980. After receiving a degree from Harvard Law School, he moved back to Russia in 1992, where he made his fortune after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He eventually helped establish Renaissance Capital, a top investment bank and brokerage in Moscow that had been at the epicenter of Russia’s turbulent financial sector in the 1990s.

In 2001, he became deputy chairman of Russia’s Norilsk Nickel, the world’s largest producer of nickel, a post he left in early 2005.

He spent much of his time at his homes in Los Angeles and London. In 2003, he bought the villa in the Baltic Sea resort, popular among wealthy Russian businessmen and situated about 15 kilometers (10 miles) west of the Latvian capital, Riga .

In recent years Rozhetskin devoted his efforts to media and film, creating a movie production company with Eric Eisner, the son of former Walt Disney Co. CEO Michael Eisner.

Lubavitch Rabbi's: Metzitza B'peh Is Mandatory

The Central Vaad Rabbonei Lubavitch has released the following letter [Hebrew], encouraging Mohelim to continue with the practice of Metzitza B’peh as it has been traditionally performed for centuries, without paying attention to those who are trying to put an end to it.

The letter is signed by Moshe Bogomilsky, Rabbi B.A.Z. Winner, and Rabbi Dovid Schochet.