The more things change, the more they stay the same. This truism was hammered home to Agudath Israel Executive Vice President Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel after participating in a meeting earlier this week with other Jewish leaders with United States Attorney General William Barr. This Tuesday, January 28, in a historic event, Attorney General Barr visited the Boro Park JCC to meet with Jewish leaders. The meeting was in response to the recent rise in anti-Semitic attacks targeting Jews in different parts of the country and especially in Brooklyn. AG Barr did more than simply express his distress over the hate crimes. He pledged the support of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to end this disturbing trend. Among the initiatives mentioned by the Attorney General: A directive to all U.S.

A child walking to Yeshiva in Boro Park walked away after being run over by a garbage truck on Friday morning. It happened at 8:45AM at the intersection of 9th Avenue and 49th Street. As you can see in the attached video, the garbage truck didn’t see the boy crossing the street in the crosswalk, and struck the child. Sources tell YWN that the child says the truck went through a solid red light. Even worse, the driver got out of the vehicle, looked at the child, and simply drove away. The NYPD is actively looking for the driver. Bichasdei Hashem, the child was taken to the hospital by Boro Park Hatzolah, where he was treated for minor injuries and expected to be released. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Six people arrested in a Bronx apartment in possession of $7 million worth of heroin and fentanyl were released without bail – thanks to the new “bail reform law” that went into effect on January 1st in New York State. “The sheer volume of heroin and fentanyl packages assembled in a small apartment just off the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx is shocking. Even veteran narcotics investigators were surprised by the output of this packaging operation, which was run out of a nondescript apartment in the borough afflicted by the city’s highest rate of overdose death,” said Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan.

Criminal justice reformers in New York were riding high last spring after the legislature passed an overhaul that eliminated cash bail for most nonviolent crimes. But now, a backlash over the bail law may have diminished their chances of winning additional reforms on issues like parole eligibility, solitary confinement and police accountability. Advocates who cheered the bail overhaul find themselves on defense amid significant criticism from prosecutors and law enforcement officials, who say the new bail law has jeopardized public safety. Most of the concerns revolve around instances of defendants being released under the new law and then committing new crimes.

A Jewish female was robbed at the LifePlex Health Club (gym) on College Rd in Monsey at around 8:30PM, Wednesday night. The suspect fled in a vehicle, but crashed just nearby in front of “Wine on 59” on Route 59. The suspect then bailed from the vehicle, and fled on foot. Ramapo PD and Rockland Chaverim responded and conducted a search for the suspect. Authorities apprehended a possible suspect in front of the 7/11, but as of this YWN post, it has not been confirmed to be the suspect. The victim is being brought to the Ramapo Police Headquarters to make a positive identification. Rockland Hatzolah is treating one victim from the crash for minor injuries. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

United States Attorney General William Barr visited Boro Park on Tuesday, as he met with Jewish leaders following the recent rise in anti-semitic attacks targeting Jews in Brooklyn. Barr said he is “extremely distressed” about recent acts of intimidation and violence against Jewish communities, and said federal authorities will be lowering their levels of tolerance for acts of anti-Semitism moving forward in order to more aggressively prosecute hate crimes cases. Among items discussed in the meeting, the AG said he is issuing a directive to U.S. Attorney’s Officers around the United States to “reinvigorate their relationship and outreach to Jewish communities” in response to recent acts of anti-Semitic intimidation/violence against Jews.

More than 175,000 tickets have been requested for President Donald Trump’s rally in Wildwood, New Jersey Tuesday night. That’s a record for any President Trump rally anywhere, the president’s daughter-in-law Lara said in a radio interview. The Wildwoods Convention Center holds 7,500 people. Supporters have been camping out outside the venue since early Monday morning hoping to get a spot inside. A Jumbotron will be set up outside to handle the overflow crowds. Meanwhile, hundreds of people braved the cold, and were camped out overnight – many of them on the beach. Trump is scheduled to speak at the rally at 7 p.m. The doors open at 3 p.m. The rally is taking place in New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District, represented by Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit filed filed an indictment against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on three separate charges of corruption. The move came three hours after the prime minister withdrew his request for parliamentary immunity from prosecution for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Netanyahu, who was visiting Washington ahead of the launch of President Donald Trump’s long-anticipated peace plan, said he “decided not to let this dirty game continue,” in a statement issued on his official Facebook page. The Knesset was widely expected to reject Netanyahu’s immunity request, which would have dealt a massive blow to the prime minister ahead of the March 2 parliamentary elections — the third in less than a year.

The lawyer for the suspect in the stabbing during a Chanukah party in Monsey has requested a federal competency evaluation. Attorney Michael Sussman says a psychiatrist concluded that Grafton Thomas is not competent to stand trial. Now the U.S. Attorney’s office has two weeks to respond. Thomas has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges in the Dec. 28th stabbing that left five people injured at Rabbi Rottenberg’s home in Forshay. The 37-year-old also faces federal hate crime charges. Sussman issued a statement to reporters saying that he had asked the federal court, where Thomas faces hate-crime charges, to keep his motion, Levin’s report, and other documents under seal, to retain the privacy of personal health matters.

Attorney general Barr is scheduled to visit Boro Park on Tuesday, where he will meet to discuss the rise in anti-Semitism and recent string of hate crimes. According to a tweet by ABC reporter Alex Mallin, the “A.G. DOJ spox tells ABC that AG Barr will be traveling to NYC tomorrow to meet with Jewish leaders in Borough Park to discuss anti-Semitism and ways to combat it. The visit follows a series of attacks and acts of intimidation in several of NY’s Jewish neighborhoods back in December.” YWN has learned that the meeting will be held at the Boro Park Jewish Community Council. Interestingly, YWN has confirmed that not one of the four Orthodox Jewish elected officials representing the Brooklyn Jewish community was invited to the meeting.