An estimated 15-20cm of snow has fallen in Jerusalem, shutting down roads into the city in the biggest winter storm in 20 years.

Schools and nurseries are to be closed on Thursday across northern Israel and the West Bank, courts have been shut, buses are not running and the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway is closed.

Israel has ground to a halt in what is being called the worst storm in a decade.

Roads, railways and airports have shut, rivers have reached capacity and now community centres are being opened in preparation for potential evacuations.

The deaths of two childhood friends in Hurricane Sandy has touched the lives of many in New York’s Jewish community.

Over 300 people attended the funeral of Jessica Streich-Kest, 24, and Jacob Vogelman, 23, who were killed by a falling tree as the storm hit New York on October 29.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has sent a search-and-rescue team to Ghana after a shopping centre collapsed in Accra on Wednesday.

The team of doctors, engineers and communication experts left Israel Wednesday evening, only hours after the multi-story building collapsed, trapping many people inside.

A Jewish man from Brooklyn was beaten and mugged during Hurricane Sandy.

The gang of five took advantage of the empty streets and attacked the man at 7pm on Monday.

The attackers kicked their victim repeatedly and knocked him unconscious. While the man was lying on the ground bleeding, the five stole his wallet and phone.

The victim was taken to hospital.

In what could be termed an ironic case of life imitating art, filming of a biblical epic telling the story of Noah and his ark was put on hold this week due to Superstorm Sandy.

Darren Aronofsky's film, starring Russell Crowe as Noah, was due to be filmed on Monday at locations in New York.