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It's typical for people in Orthodox Jewish communities to dress conservatively; you'll often see women in long-sleeved tops and full skirts or men in pants and high-collared shirts strolling through southern Brooklyn.

What's unusual is the lengths some will go to make sure their neighbors follow the dress code.

The Times reports that so-called "modesty committees" have taken to enforcing modest dress using whatever creepy means they deem necessary. The groups have made a habit of threatening local businesses and families who aren't following the rules. "They operate like the Mafia," Rabbi Allan Nadler told the Times, "They walk into a store and say it would be a shame if your window was broken or you lost your clientele."

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• ​New details continue to emerge about Levi Aron, the Brooklyn man who confessed to killing and dismembering 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky this past week. Police sources said that Aron's family claims the 35-year-old was in a car accident at age 10 which impaired him mentally. Co-workers at the hardware store where he worked said that Aron took part in prayers that Leiby would be found on Tuesday, a day after the boy went missing. He even corrected someone's mispronunciation of Leiby's name. A grand jury began hearing evidence against Aron yesterday. The Post talked to an ex-wife of Aron's, Diana Diunov, who said that Aron is a "cold sociopath" who is sane and knows right from wrong. Meanwhile, Leiby's family is in the process of sitting shiva, the Jewish mourning ritual that lasts for seven days. [PIX 11, NYT, NYP]
• Seanna Sharpe and Thomas (Savage) Skinner, the aerialist and magician who pulled off a performance 300 feet in the air over the Williamsburg Bridge, have pointed to the case of Philippe Petit, the French tightrope walker who walked between the Twin Towers in 1974 as evidence of why they shouldn't be punished. Petit was arrested and charged, but the charges were dropped when he offered to give free juggling classes. Sharpe and Skinner have been charged with felony reckless endangerment and face seven years in prison if convicted. It does seem steep for something that was probably really fucking cool to watch. [NYDN]

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Just accept the fact that Levi Aron's reported confession for murdering Leiby Kletzky is mostly bullshit for what he has left out. After the funeral (a too quick one) Wednesday night, we may never know for sure whether the little boy was sexually molested. But go back to the surveillance video, and you'll see Aron indeed acting like a classic molester.

Notice how Aron mostly doesn't walk side-by-side with the little boy. Instead, Aron walks a few feet in front of him. Cops and shrinks who deal with molesters have told me that's a common, and shrewd, technique by molesters.

As the cops and prosecutors bear down on Levi Aron, maybe they'll find out just where he learned to pick up little boys on the street.

Which makes you wonder: Were there any missing children in Memphis — or unsolved sex crimes — during the couple of years during which Levi Aron lived there?

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Spurred on by Jewish funeral laws mandating that the service take place within 24 hours of death, the funeral of murdered 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky could occur as early as tonight. Various times are circulating around the net, but Yeshiva World News, a good source for info in the Hasidic communities, says the service could be as early as 8 tonight, July 13. As of 4 p.m., however, no time has been confirmed. And it's not known whether the NYPD investigation in the shocking murder and dismemberment will delay the funeral.

Meanwhile, people in Brooklyn are still wondering about the schlubby suspect, Levi Aron (right). Although said to be an Orthodox Jew himself, Aron is apparently an avid fan of bland, mainstream culture like online karaoke, Glee, and American Idol, according to his Facebook page. Aron's profile also includes scores of moderately sexy girls from around the world who are listed as his "friends," even though they really aren't. By late this afternoon, Aron's number of "friends" had fallen from 239 to 220.

An ultra-Orthodox Hasidic newspaper, Der Tzitung, has photoshopped Hillary Clinton from the iconic White House situation room photo taken during the Bin Laden raid. (They also 'shopped out Director of Counterterrorism Audrey Tomason.) The paper has a policy against publishing photographs of women because it could be seen as sexually suggestive.

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The blogger behind the deliciously feisty Musings of an Irate Commuter has posted an open letter that gives us faith in a communing of spirits that have long held very different beliefs. (See "Hipsters Repaint Bike Lanes in Brush Off to Hasids," and "Clash of the Bearded Ones.")

As it turns out, maybe we all can just get along.

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