Source: The Plain Dealer

On December 11, 2001, The Plain Dealer reported that "an Ohio inmate may keep his flowing beard as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal yesterday to intervene in a challenge of state rules on prisoners' facial hair. The high court without comment let stand a 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling giving inmate Hbrandon Flagner, a Hasidic Jew, an exemption from Ohio's beard-length rule. The state argued that a decision in the Elyria native's favor could invite a flurry of lawsuits over prison grooming rules... Flagner, who...

Source: Newsday

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-liisla102503970dec10.story?coll=ny%2Dlinews%2Darchive

On December 10, 2001, Newsday featured the article "Religious leaders reach out with unity service at LI mosque." It reported, "In an unprecedented act, the leader of Long Island's Catholic Church visited the Island's largest mosque yesterday, attending a multifaith service aimed at...

Source: The Kane County Chronicle

Source: The Washington Post

On December 10, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "the traditional program of Hanukah songs was expanded to include 'God Bless America' and Oseh Shalom, the Jewish prayer for peace... Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz, who rode a cherry-picker into the air to light the 30-foot-high candelabra, called it 'a symbol of hope against violence and oppression'... In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the recent suicide bombings that killed more than two dozen civilians in...

Source: The Boston Herald

On December 10, 2001, The Boston Herald reported that "more than 200 Jews from around the region gathered yesterday at sundown in Downtown Crossing [Boston] as Mayor Thomas M. Menino lit a giant 15-foot menorah to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. 'Hanukkah represents the first documented fight for freedom of religion and freedom from oppression. It is appropriate for this Hanukkah event to honor the troops in Afghanistan because that is exactly what they're fighting for,' said Rabbi Rachmiel Liberman of the Lubavitch-Jewish...

Source: United Press International

On December 10, 2001, The United Press International reported that "the 'real story' of the blaze at the Gobind Sadan shrine actually developed into a rather marvelous one, recounts Ralph Singh, the center's spokesman... Jews, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists came out to express their solidarity, Singh recalled. And then there were individual acts of kindness... With a trembling voice, Ralph Singh spoke of the 'outpouring of love' the 100-strong congregation at the former farmstead received from neighbors and...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On December 10, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that Beverly Hills artist Georgina Rothenberg presented "a sculpture of the hands of an elderly man passing on the Torah to the outreached hands of a child. 'L'dor V'dor,' the inscription would read in Hebrew: 'from generation to generation'... to Sinai Temple... [at] the beginning of the eight-day Jewish celebration of Hanukkah... Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and a series of suicide bombings in Israel, people have clung to their traditions and values for comfort and...

Source: Newsday

On December 9, 2001, Newsday reported that "for many Jews, the lights of the menorah this year will represent not only the spirit of religious freedom, but freedom of the human spirit. Hanukkah's meaning, 'dedication,' also is a universal call to people of all faiths to focus on those freedoms... The weeks following the attacks have been a period of reflection, hope and redemption, said Rabbi Marc Schneier, of the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach. Members of his synagogue will caravan throughout the Hamptons and light candles in memory...

Source: The Boston Globe

On December 9, 2001, The Boston Globe reported that "with the country at war and violence raging in the Holy Land, the lights of Hanukkah must burn brighter than ever, some Jews say, to help dispel the darkness. The menorah, a symbol of freedom and religious tolerance, must continue to inspire hope... For the congregation of Chabad of Westborough, [MA] tonight's public lighting of a 9-foot menorah at the town rotary captures, in a small but meaningful way, the holiday's message of faith and resolve... One year ago, the town denied...

Source: CBS News

http://cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,320358-412,00.shtml

On December 9, 2001, CBS News reported that "before Jewish midshipmen gather for Hanukkah services Sunday evening, Rabbi Irving Elson makes sure the cross is moved and stored away out of sight. A few other adjustments, and the All Faiths Chapel at the U.S. Naval Academy is transformed into a synagogue for the roughly 80 Jewish midshipmen in the 4,000-member Annapolis brigade... Jewish students...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On December 7, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported that a "New York rabbi wants all Americans to celebrate Hanukkah this year as a show of unity against terrorism... [he thinks] this year's Hanukkah should reaffirm all Americans' commitment to the sanctity of life, the power of communities to support their members through difficulties and the desire to build and move on." Not everyone agrees however. Ohio Christians with "Vietnamese heritage said they have participated in candlelight vigils and other expressions of unity in...

Source: The Pew Research Center

http://www.people-press.org/120601rpt.htm

On December 6, 2001, The Pew Research Center for People and the Press released its report on Post-September 11 attitudes. The report indicated: "The Sept. 11 attacks have increased the prominence of religion in the United States to an extraordinary degree, but not at the expense of acceptance of religious minorities. Fully 78% now say religion's influence in American life is growing -- up from 37% eight months ago...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On December 5, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "Temple Beth El in Aliso Viejo [CA] will celebrate the first night of Hanukkah... with a three-faith service that will include an observance of Islam's Ramadan and Christianity's Advent. The interfaith gathering was designed as a sign of peace between religions in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and made even more poignant by recent violence in Israel, organizers say."

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On December 4, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported on a Columbus, OH community Iftar or meal that breaks the daylight fast of the Muslim holy month, Ramadan. "For years, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has hosted the evening to explain Islamic culture and build friendships. Such an outreach paid off after Sept. 11. Many in the community already understood that Muslims, like Christians and Jews, follow God's laws." The Mayor of Columbus attended the event as did the Superintendent of schools and other government...

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On December 3, 2001, the Omaha World-Herald featured an article on an interfaith gathering at Oamha, Nebraska's Temple Israel. "In the space of a half-hour, a Muslim call to prayer; Jewish prayers and rituals that mark the end of the Sabbath; and two Christian prayers were uttered by their respective leaders in Temple's spacious social hall as 300 people from all three faiths looked on."