The Big Apple is losing one of only three Judaica Stores left in the city. J. Levine Books and Judaica, a longtime independent seller of Jewish books, gifts and ritual objects, has said it will shutter its doors at the end of May. Fourth-generation owner Daniel Levine told The New York Jewish Week that the Midtown Manhattan shop’s business was hurt by the rising popularity of online shopping. “The next generation doesn’t shop in stores,” he said. “That’s the nature of the world.” Levine said the company will continue to operate online at levinejudaica.com, but that the business size will be reduced.

J. Levine is a fifth-generation family business operating at 5 West on 30th Street, between Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Having opened in 1905, it is one of the oldest standing Judaica stores in the entire country. The business was actually founded in 1890 in Vilkomir, Lithuania, where Hirsch Landy began selling the Torah scrolls that he wrote. When he immigrated to America, he opened the store as a pushcart on the Lower East Side selling Torahs, Tefillin and Tallitim. In 1920, his son-in-law, Joseph Levine, incorporated and expanded the business to selling other Judaica items including Torah and arc covers. Joseph’s sons Harold, Melvin and Seymour Levine carried on the business further broadening its scope. Back in November 1991, the retail store was featured in an article by the NY Times. In the article, owner Danny Levine had said “I’ve found that people are looking today for presentation or atmosphere. I want the store to be the Henri Bendel of Judaica,” Levine had said. “People should feel, wow, this is Judaism at its best.”

The Big Apple was once home to dozens of Jewish bookstores. It will now have only two independent stores remaining in Manhattan. One is West Side Judaica on the Upper West Side, and the other is Judaica Classics on the Upper East Side. As reported by VIN News, in 2017, the former announced it would be closing. But following the news customers flocked over, showing their support and allowing West Side Judaica to stay in business. The city also still has several boutique Judaica stores, mostly connected to museums or synagogues.

The dwindling number of Jewish bookstores should not be seen as a lessening of interest in Judaism, said historian Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. Rather it is “a message to others who are thinking of opening Jewish bookstores,” Sarna told the Jewish Week. “It’s cheaper and easier to shop at Amazon.”

New York City restaurants won the right in court in January to charge more for credit card transactions – and New Yorkers are pissed.

The verdict in a court case said that the extra charges may be applied as long as they are clearly stated.

It appears that some restaurant operators may be taking advantage. Or as the New York Post put it in a recent article, “Instead, some businesses are slipping in sneaky fees or trumpeting non-existent cash “discounts.”

“Pay by Cash and Save!” read one notice at AlMar, an Italian restaurant in Dumbo. But the cash tab for the portobello mushroom panini was $14.50 — exactly the price on the menu — with no discount. Paying with a credit card added 4 percent to the price,” the Post reported.

A more blunt appraisal was offered by dailyvoice.com, with a story headlined “’Sneaky’ Surcharges Reported After Court Gives NY Merchants Right To Charge For Credit Card Use.”

“Merchants called for the surcharges, saying they pay a processing fee of around two percent for each credit card transaction, with the maximum surcharge being four percent,” the web site points out. “Some businesses are slipping in sneaky fees or promoting non-existent pay by cash and save “discounts,” according to this report by the New York Post. The court battle over the fees ended when a New York State appellate court ruled that merchants have the right to levy the charges.”

Another news site, WHEC.com, asked the same question in its headline: “Are you being overcharged illegally?”

“When News10NBC last tackled this issue more than a year ago, charging you extra for using a credit card was technically against state law. But, things have changed,” its investigative piece says. “Now you can do it, just as long as you tell people,” said Attorney David Sieling with Brenna Boyce P.L.L.C.”

The clarification, WHEC.com notes, “comes from a recent Court of Appeals’ ruling which came down at the beginning of the year. According to the majority ruling, surcharges are allowed as long as a business tell people exactly what they’ll be paying. “The court ruled you can do it but must list both your cash price and your credit price in dollars and cents conspicuously,” Sieling said. Gas stations already do this. They give you a cash price and a credit card price. It’s clear some other businesses aren’t following the court’s interpretation of the law.

Howland said she only found out about her fee from a recent visit to a store after she got the receipt. That is called single sticker pricing.”

The Health Department announced on Monday that it has closed two more schools for failing to comply with an Order of the Health Commissioner in response to the current measles outbreak. The Order requires yeshivas and child care programs in certain zip codes to exclude unvaccinated students and to maintain medical and attendance records on site and provide the Department with immediate access to those records.

The school Tiferes Bnos (585 Marcy Avenue 11206) and preschool Talmud Torah D’Nitra (1007 Bedford Avenue 11205) will not be allowed to reopen until the Health Department reviews and approves a submitted corrective action plan that addresses the ongoing lapses in complying with the Order.

The Health Department had previously closed five schools—not including the programs shuttered today—for failing to comply with the Commissioner’s Order. All five have been authorized to reopen under Health Department monitoring after submitting a corrective action plan that was approved by the Department.

“Schools that continue to disregard our direction during the outbreak will be closed down until they can prove to the Health Department that they will comply,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. “The reality is, the longer it takes schools and individuals to comply with our Order, the longer this outbreak will continue.”

Individual Summonses

In addition, 57 individuals have received summonses for being non-compliant with the Emergency Order since the City began issuing summonses last week. Any person receiving the summons is entitled to a hearing, and if the hearing officer upholds the summons, a $1,000 penalty will be imposed. Failing to appear at the hearing or respond to the summons will result in a $2,000 fine.

Current Case Count

To date, 423 cases of measles have been confirmed since the beginning of the outbreak last October. 348 cases (82%) have occurred in Williamsburg (ZIP codes 11205, 11206, 11211, 11249), which has been under an Emergency Order issued April 9 requiring those who live or work in these ZIP codes to have been vaccinated with the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine (MMR). A small number of cases have occurred outside of these neighborhoods but have, to date, not resulted in sustained transmission of measles.

Geographic Distribution of Cases

Eight individuals, including the initial case, acquired measles while travelling abroad to Israel (5), the United Kingdom (2) and Ukraine (1), areas with active outbreaks, highlighting the need for MMR vaccination for individuals traveling overseas.

A small number of cases have occurred outside of the Williamsburg and Borough Park neighborhoods at the core of the current outbreak. These cases have been diagnosed in residents of Midwood/Marine Park (4), Brighton Beach (2), Flushing (2), Crown Heights (1), Bensonhurst (1), Far Rockaway (1) and the Hunts Point, Longwood and Melrose section of The Bronx (1).

Seven individuals who do not identify as members of the Orthodox Jewish community have been diagnosed with measles since the outbreak began in October 2018. Of individuals who acquired measles in New York City, only one person diagnosed with measles during this outbreak does not report an exposure associated with the Orthodox Jewish community of Williamsburg, Borough Park, or other area with measles activity.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced last week that $14.6 million in new funding has been awarded for four projects that support bicycle and pedestrian enhancements, as well as projects specifically targeted toward improving air quality in New York City.

The new infrastructure investment, which is part of a $144.6 million investment for 72 projects statewide, will support the construction of new multi-use bicycle and pedestrian facilities, new ADA accessible sidewalks, improved access to public transportation and enhanced roadway safety.

“New York State is making historic, nation-leading investments in cleaner and more sustainable transportation infrastructure which is crucial to the growth of local economies,” Cuomo said. “These investments in bike and pedestrian enhancements across the state will help revitalize communities, reduce our carbon footprint and demonstrate once again that New York is building for the future.”

“We’re investing in infrastructure initiatives across the state to improve transportation and quality of life in our communities,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “We are committed to providing funding to ensure that enhancements are made to increase access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. These projects are improving air quality and revitalizing communities, helping to increase tourism and strengthen the economy of New York State.”

Statewide, these projects will spur additional investment of more than $215 million, including public and private support, in local enhancements that will revitalize communities, promote tourism and enhance regional economic competitiveness.

The projects were selected through a competitive solicitation process. Awardees presented plans that will increase options for non-vehicular transportation, reduce vehicle emissions or traffic congestion, or both. The funding, which will provide up to 80 percent of the cost of each project, is made available through the Federal Highway Administration and administered directly by the New York State Department of Transportation.

This funding also supports Governor Cuomo’s initiative to advance Health Across all Policies in New York State. Health Across all Policies is a collaborative approach that integrates health considerations into policymaking across all sectors to improve community health and wellness.

Projects in New York City include:

– $5 million to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation to construct a new bike lane on the east promenade of Roosevelt Island

– $793,000 to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to construct a new pedestrian and bicycle connection on Randall’s Island

– $2.1 million to the New York City Department of Transportation toward construction of new bicycle and pedestrian facilities identified for the Harlem River Bridges Plan

– $1.7 million to the New York City Department of Transportation for construction of new pedestrian refuge islands, median extensions and other pedestrian accessibility enhancements.

The Housing Rights Initiative, a watchdog group, has reportedly filed a class-action lawsuit against a landlord in Brooklyn whom it alleges is guilty of “systemic, fraudulent and unlawful overcharging of rents” for rent-stabilized apartments.

The lawsuit claims that defendant Jacob Neiss and his firm, 74 Grand Ave. LLC, have not followed rent stabilization law and rent stabilization code.

Neiss and his company “benefit from what is commonly known as the 421-a tax benefit, which provides exemptions and abatements for landlords if they register all apartments in the building as rent-stabilized, charge rents in accordance to the rent-stabilization law and rent-stabilization code, and ensure tenants are notified that their apartments are rent-stabilized,” Crain’s has reported.

However, the Housing Rights Initiative, which has been helping the plaintiffs “who are all current and former tenants of a building at 74 and 94 Grand Ave. in Clinton Hill, says over 200 former and current tenants are entitled to rent refunds and rent reductions that could be well over $1 million because of overcharging,” Crain’s adds.

“Over more than a decade, ownership of the building has been passed through numerous entities of which Neiss is controlling member,” alleges the lawsuit. “Upon information and belief, these transfers were part of a fraudulent scheme involving the abuse of corporate forms by Neiss for the purpose of collecting rents in excess of the allowable rents under the RSL and RSC.”

The Housing Rights Initiative takes a proactive and systematic approach to targeting, investigating, and fighting fraudulent real estate practices and connecting tenants to legal support. Its data-driven model identifies properties where there is a high probability of systematic fraud. We launch investigations and generate class action lawsuits against predatory real estate companies.

Through a legal mobilization effort, the tax-exempt group lays the foundation for tenants who have been defrauded by their landlords, to seek redress and secure their rights under the law.

The organization has done impressive work in the area of tenants’ rights. It has taken action on recent research, for example, that identified what appears to be a widespread practice of age discrimination by real estate owners and broker/agents across the nation, including New York City, which routinely impacts senior citizens and other older tenants and purchasers of housing.

As the group notes on its web site, according to the AARP, “by 2030, one in every five Americans will be over age 65, and our nation will face a severe shortage in appropriate housing to meet their needs.” The AARP has also stated that “one-third of adults (20 million) older than 50 put more than 30 percent of their income toward housing, and 9.6 million adults older than 50 put more than 50 percent of their income toward housing.”