Source: JTA

http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=13592&intcategoryid=2#

On December 21, 2003 JTA reported, "Twenty years ago, an Italian television channel hired Annie Sacerdoti, a Jewish writer and editor in Milan, to produce a documentary about Jewish history in Italy’s northern Lombardy region... In small provincial towns around the region, she found Jewish cemeteries abandoned to the elements and deserted synagogues...

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/21/nyregion/21LONG.html

On December 21, 2003 The New York Times reported on Protestant churches on Long Island that have opened their doors to Jewish congregations. The Times notes that "for Protestant congregations burdened with high costs of maintaining churches, renting out space - to other faiths, or, more commonly, to other Protestant denominations - has become crucial to making ends meet... But the...

Source: The San Diego Union Tribune

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20031220-9999_1mi20arson.html

On December 20, 2003 The San Diego Union Tribune reported that Manuel Tescorena Renteria, 26, was charged Thursday with one count of malicious damage in connection to an Oct. 11 arson fire at a Carmel Valley synagogue. The front wooden doors, stucco exterior, stained glass and office were damaged at the 820-member Congregation Beth...

Source: KATU News

http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=63246

On December 19, 2003 KATU News printed an article by the Associated Press on the increased popularity of Hannukah in America. Hannukah is a minor Jewish holiday compared to Rosh Hashana, Passover and Yom Kippur, and was traditionally celebrated by lighting a menorah, or candelabra, for eight nights. Children received coins - real or chocolate - called gelt, as gifts. These trends "changed in the United States when...

Source: The Bellingham Herald

http://news.bellinghamherald.com/stories/20031219/TopStories/168888.shtml

On December 19, 2003 The Bellingham Herald reported on how Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, and Pagans celebrate the Christmas holiday season. Interviews reveal that many local Sikhs exchange gifts, that some local Muslims put up Christmas trees, and that Jews sometimes celebrate secular Christmas along with Hannukah. Pagan celebrationsoften involve time...

Source: Religion and Ethics News Weekly

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week716/profile.html

On December 19, 2003 the Religion and Ethics News Weekly reported on Jewish volunteers who are carrying out a tradition of doing good deeds while giving Christians the day off on Christmas. At the D.C. Jewish Community Center in Washington, DC, the annual December 25 community service project registers hundreds of Jewish volunteers to work throughout the...

Source: International Herald Tribune

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/19/opinion/IHT-ban-the-croissant-secular-and-religious-rights.html...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.fac.org/rel_liberty/publiclife/news.aspx?id=12368

On December 18, 2003 The Associated Press reported, "Two women are seeking a federal court order to overrule a town's refusal to allow a Nativity scene to be displayed alongside a Christmas tree and menorah in a town park. Maureen Donnell and Fern deNarvaez filed a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, arguing the town's policy violates their rights to...

Source: Akron Leader

http://www.akron.com/20031218/FPAGE/spread.htm

On December 18, 2003 the Akron Leader reported on the Akron Area Interfaith Council (AAIC), an organization of leaders and lay people representing 20 houses of worship that promotes understanding and religious tolerance.Christians from Unitarian Universalist, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian and Baptist churches are represented, as are members of Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist houses...

Source: Ventura County Star

http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/co_valley/article/0,1375,VCS_166_2511597,0.htm

On December 17, 2003 the Ventura County Star reported that "members of the Conejo Valley's Jewish community gathered Tuesday afternoon to support a Holocaust survivor whose Hanukkah flag was burned this past weekend in what is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Victoria Monina, 71, had hung a flag decorated...

Source: Yahoo! News

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/okeefe121803.html

On December 17, 2003 The Associated Press reported that Judea Pearl, the father of journalist Daniel Pearl, is transforming his son's February 2002 murder into an opportunity for dialogue between Muslims and Jews. Pearl is teaming with Islamic scholar Akbar Ahmed to pursue "an insightful and unconventional perspective, an unshaken belief in the effectiveness of education and...

Source: The Newton Tab

http://www.townonline.com/newton/news/local_regional/new_newnesynagoguems12162003.htm

On December 16, 2003 Town Online reported, "Denying accusations that religious bias was a motivating factor in their decision, the Board of Aldermen refused to issue the Chabbad-Lubuvitch congregation a parking waiver it needs in order to open a synagogue on Dedham Street. Beth Menachem Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish Congregation...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On December 16, 2003 The Houston Chronicle reported that "a taste of Islam has come to Meyerland [TX], the cradle of Houston's Jewish community... Inside the Citgo convenience store on Beechnut and the West Loop, a Turkish Muslim named Mustafa Ozen has opened a Burger Express featuring meat certified as halal, permitted by Islamic dietary law... Muslims from other suburbs, like convert Christine Young, a dental hygienist, drive to Meyerland to eat there because halal hamburgers are a rarity in Houston, she said."

Source: Cleveland Jewish News

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2003/12/22/news/israel/rparty1215.txt

On December 14, 2003 Cleveland Jewish News reported, "Thousands of Jews and Arabs fill the winding stone alleyways of a Haifa neighborhood sampling latkes, roasted chestnuts and pastries dripping in honey at a coexistence festival to mark the holidays of Chanukah, Christmas and Ramadan...Now in its 10th year, The Festival of...