Arson being probed in bus fires in Arab-Israeli town

Published on March 5, 2013

Police are investigating possible arson to two buses belonging to a company that began offering special bus lines to transport West Bank Palestinian passengers.

Beitar Jerusalem soccer fans arrested in connection with arson attack

Published on February 13, 2013

Some members of the Beitar Jerusalem's nationalist and extremist fan club were arrested in connection with the arson attack on the soccer team's office and trophy room.

Beitar arson attack linked to racial incitement

Published on February 8, 2013

A suspected arson attack damaged the main club house of Israeli Premier League side Beitar Jerusalem on Friday, a day after four fans were charged in court in connection with racist incitement against the team's recruitment of Muslim players, police said.

Arson suspected in fire at Eritreans’ Jerusalem apartment

Published on July 12, 2012

Two African migrants were injured after a fire was allegedly set at the entrance to their Jerusalem apartment.

Palestinian teens arrested for Jerusalem arson, shots fired inside Gaza Strip restaurant

Published on July 9, 2012

Two Palestinian teens were arrested for setting a fire near Jerusalem that destroyed 15 acres of forest.

Massive Jerusalem fire under control

Published on June 26, 2012

A fire near Jerusalem has threatened homes and closed the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway.

Reluctant hero Lalezary honored by L.A.‘s Iranian Jews

By Karmel Melamed
Published on June 20, 2012

In the early hours of Jan. 2, Shervin Lalezary was on only his fourth solo patrol as a Los Angeles reserve sheriff's deputy. Driving on Sunset Boulevard near Fairfax Avenue in West Hollywood, he spotted a minivan that fit the description of one believed to be used by an arsonist who had been on a nightly rampage for days, terrorizing huge swaths of Los Angeles.

Fire at apartment of Eritrean migrants called arson

Published on June 4, 2012

A Jerusalem apartment home to migrant workers from Eritrea was set on fire.

N.Y. arson attack investigated as insurance scam

Published on January 12, 2012

An arson attack last year on cars in a predominately Jewish neighborhood of New York reportedly is being investigated as an insurance scam instead of a hate crime.

State Department condemns vandalism of West Bank mosque

Published on January 12, 2012

The United States condemned the vandalizing of a mosque in the northern West Bank.

Dozens of fires break out in northern Israel

Published on October 24, 2011

More than 40 fires broke out across northern Israel over the weekend, many of which are suspected arson attacks.

Vandalism on Safed synagogues being probed as retaliation for mosque arson

Published on October 12, 2011

Police are investigating vandalism on four synagogues in Safed as possible retaliation for a mosque arson in northern Israel.

Judge: Not enough evidence to convict mosque arson suspect

Published on October 11, 2011

A Petach Tikvah judge gave police five days to produce evidence that a West Bank Jewish man burned a mosque in northern Israel.

Second suspect arrested in mosque arson

Published on October 10, 2011

A second suspect was arrested in connection with the burning of a mosque in a Bedouin-Arab town in northern Israel.

Suspect arrested in mosque arson

Published on October 6, 2011

Police have arrested an 18-year-old Jewish male in connection with the arson of a mosque in a Bedouin Arab town in northern Israel.

Bedouin Arabs riot following mosque arson

Published on October 4, 2011

Residents of the Bedouin Arab town of Tuba-Zangariyye in northern Israel have torched local community buildings in the wake of an arson attack on a local mosque.

New Square rebbe seeks dismissal of arson suit

Published on July 20, 2011

Rabbi David Twersky, the grand rebbe of the Skverer Chasidic sect in the New York village of New Square, has requested the dismissal of a lawsuit implicating him in an arson attack.

Arson suspected in major Jerusalem forest fire

Published on July 18, 2011

Arson is suspected in a major forest fire in Jerusalem that led to the evacuation of the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum.

New York shtetl where arson attack occurred, the rebbe’s word is law

Published on June 7, 2011

For years, this leafy Chasidic village about an hour north of New York City has been a shtetl-like haven where residents could live their strictly Orthodox lifestyle far from the temptations and bustle of the nation’s largest city. Out of view of all but very few, life in this community of some 7,000 Skverer Chasidim has revolved around its spiritual leader, the Skverer rebbe, Rabbi David Twersky.

Jewish settlers accused of torching mosque

Published on May 3, 2011

Palestinian leaders are blaming Jewish settlers for a fire in a West Bank mosque. The fire early Tuesday morning broke out in a mosque inside a village school building in Hawara, near Nablus. The governor of Nablus, Jibreen al Bakri, accused settlers of arson, Reuters reported.

Apparent arson destroys N.Y. kosher market set to reopen

Published on April 28, 2011

An apparent arson attack destroyed a renovated kosher supermarket in New York City that was set to reopen. The Seasons market in the Kew Gardens Hills neighborhood of Queens reportedly was set alight early Monday morning, during the Passover holiday. The attack ruined the inventory and destroyed most of the building, according to the New York Post. The New York Police Department is investigating the incident.

Old books, religious items burned in Corfu synagogue

Published on April 21, 2011

Unknown vandals broke into the synagogue on the island of Corfu and burned books two centuries old as well as kipot and tallitot. The break-in occurred at approximately dawn Tuesday, the second day of Passover. Firemen arrived within minutes and prevented the fire from spreading after being alerted by a police patrol car that was stationed in the front of the synagogue.

Hollywood synagogue arson suspect faces felony charges

Published on April 21, 2011

A man suspected of setting a fire in a Southern California synagogue is facing 19 felony charges of burglary and arson. Dmitry Sheyko, 21, is in custody in Los Angeles, charged with the April 14 fire at Temple Israel of Hollywood, according to The Associated Press. He is charged as well with breaking into several homes near Beverly Hills.

Hollywood synagogue arson suspect charged

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on April 20, 2011

A suspect in last week’s attempted arson at Temple Israel of Hollywood (TIOH) was charged on April 20 with 19 separate counts of arson and burglary in the Hollywood area by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the agency in charge of the case.

Arsonists strike Tunisian synagogue

Published on February 1, 2011

The Torah scrolls at a Tunisian synagogue were burned in a fire reportedly set by arsonists. The synagogue in the southern Gabes region was set ablaze Monday night. Jewish community leader Perez Trabelsi told the French news agency AFP about the scrolls and criticized police for not stopping the attack. "I condemn this action and I believe those who did it want to create divisions between Jews and Muslims in Tunisia who have lived for decades in peace," Trabelsi told Reuters.

Mayor Carries Torah to <br>Vandalized Tarzana Synagogue

By Adam Wills
Published on July 9, 2006

On Sunday, in the intense heat of a mid-summer day, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, carried a Sephardic Torah for one-half mile along city streets in Tarzana to a new Persian synagogue that had been the victim of an anti-Semitic attack just two days earlier. Police are still investigating the arson attempt, which burned a rear door of Beith David Education Center on Clark Street, as well as anti-Jewish graffiti left at the scene, as a hate crime.

Attacks on Moscow Synagogues

By Lev Krichevsky
Published on January 19, 2006

Moscow's five functioning synagogues have been repeated targets.

Jewish Arsonist Worked for Paris Center

By Philip Carmel
Published on September 2, 2004

Paris police say a 52-year-old Jewish man arrested Monday morning in connection with the Aug. 22 torching of the Judaeo-Spanish social center in the capital's 11th district is the principal suspect in the arson.

World Briefs

By JTA Staff
Published on May 13, 2004

World updates including, Israel-US Anti-Terror Fund, Jusices for Israel, Meeting with Democrats, the Rise of Anti-Semitism in Canada, Crack Down on Hate Sites, Rally in Paris, Condoleezza Rice visit to Palestine, and Arson attack on Synagogue.

Quebec Leader Tours Firebombed School

By Bram Eisenthal
Published on April 15, 2004

"It will actually leave a very strong impression," Jean Charest told reporters, following his April 8 visit to Montreal's United Talmud Torah. "This sight and smell leaves a lasting impression of how violent a gesture this was."

Firebombed early on the morning of April 5, the school reeked of burned children's books and plastic, making it nearly impossible to stay inside for more than a few minutes. A note left at the arson scene reportedly said the attack was in retribution for Israel's recent killing of Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin and was just a taste of things to come.

Suspect Arrested in Arson Attacks

By Tom Tugend
Published on May 15, 2003

During three successive days last week (May 5-7), incendiary devices, described by some as Molotov cocktails, were hurled at the Baha'i Faith Community Center, the Iranian Synagogue, Da'at Torah Educational Center and Valley Beth Shalom, one of the leading Conservative congregations in Los Angeles.

Fire Attacks Target Two Encino Shuls

By Tom Tugend
Published on May 8, 2003

Some 65 detectives from the anti-terrorist and other divisions of the Los Angeles Police Department have been assigned to investigate arson attacks on two synagogues and two other houses of worship in Encino.

World Briefs

Published on April 10, 2003

World Briefs

The Fire This Time

By Rob Eshman
Published on July 27, 2000

An arsonist's flames destroyed chairs, pews, prayer books and holy texts at Ya'ar Ramot Conservative synagogue. Fortunately, the fire department's quick response saved the ark, the Torah scrolls and the rest of the building.

Arsonist Attacks Persian Synagogue in Tarzana

By Adam Wills
Published on November 29, 1999

Police have labeled as an arson-related hate crime a fire ignited early Friday at the rear door of a yet-to-open Persian synagogue in Tarzana early Friday morning is being called an arson-related hate crime.

A Hate-Crime Conspiracy?

By Tom Tugend
Published on July 15, 1999

Two brothers arrested as suspects in the killing of a gay couple have also been linked to arson attacks on three Sacramento-area synagogues, according to federal investigators.

Once Again, Anti-Semitism

Published on July 8, 1999

How worried should we be? The question refers, of course, to the rapid succession of hate crimes that have hit the front pages of newspapers across America.

White Hate Group Strongly Suspected in Synagogue Fires

By Rebecca Rosen Lum
Published on July 1, 1999

FBI officials refused to comment on the role of the white supremacist group in this investigation or on possible connections to other reported hate crimes in Sacramento.

‘United Against Hate’

By Tom Tugend
Published on June 24, 1999

Under a giant banner that read "Sacramento United Against Hate," some 4,500 citizens of all faiths and colors dedicated themselves to the fight against bigotry as their answer to coordinated arson attacks on three local synagogues.

Igniting Israel’s Powder Keg

By Larry Derfner
Published on September 4, 1997

A spokesman for the Jerusalem police confirmed that the fire was caused by arson, and that the connection Sorek spoke of was one of the possibilities being investigated. The spokesman said that he did not want to elaborate, "because this is a very sensitive matter." He added that no suspects had yet been arrested.