Source: The Daily News of Los Angeles

On July 1, 2001, The Daily News of Los Angeles reported that "the City Council's denial last week of a day-care center and religious school at a long-established...synagogue" may have opened up a new battle. "Leaders of Temple Emanu El said they were considering taking legal action under a new federal law that protects religious institutions from some local land-use regulations."

Source: The Washington Post

On July 1, 2001, The Washington Post reported on the American Jewish Committee's 'Children of Abraham' project, which involved "publishing a book on Islam for Jewish readers and a book on Judaism for Muslims, then marketing them as a package to promote understanding between the two faiths...But [the] project is generating more interfaith arrows than embraces, as some Muslims have assailed portions of the guide to Islam and criticized the committee's choice of author...The author has gone into hiding under heavy security...

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On June 30, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "in a panel discussion with a an Orthodox rabbi, a prominent member of an organization of moderate Baptists suggested that the singling out of Jews [for evangelism by Baptists] be renounced." The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is "an association of 1,800 congregations, [that] started...as moderate Baptists began separating from the increasingly conservative...convention."

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On June 30, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "June...is the time when brides and grooms fill churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and banquet halls with promises of love, fidelity and care. Traditions vary...But most couples taking a leap into married life begin by professing love and faithfulness until death parts them, if not for eternity. And even those who profess no religion often look beyond themselves on their wedding day to seal their commitment. 'People intuitively understand that [it] is something sacred...

Source: The New York Times

On June 28, 2001, The New York Times reported that "Reform rabbis voted...to adopt new guidelines on conversion, a decision that reflected in part how interest in traditional rituals within Judaism's largest liberal branch, the Reform movement, has been growing...We're leaning toward tradition when it comes to ritual and personal practices,'" explained one rabbi. "'But we're still very liberal when it comes to human rights, civil rights and equality of all people.'"

Source: The Morning Call

On June 28, 2001, The Morning Call reported on Albert Poe, who "was born into a Methodist family 41 years ago but stopped going to church in his late teens...He began discussing religion with Jewish buddies, and something felt right to him about a faith that he saw as 'a way of life.'...To convert, [he] took six months of classes, learning basic Hebrew, a brief history of Judaism and the basis for Jewish holidays."

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On June 28, 2001, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that "Protestant pastors and a Jewish rabbi gathered at the state Capitol...to demand change in a school funding system they view as unjust, immoral and outrageous. They promised to organize their congregations and communities into a grass-roots campaign to 'target' lawmakers in the next election...They lamented the disparity between rich and poor school districts."

Source: The Seattle Times

On June 27, 2001, The Seattle Times reported that "students would be permitted to say nondisruptive prayers in the classroom, and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny could be part of holiday displays in school hallways, under proposed policy changes that will be presented tonight to the Kent School Board. The changes would replace strict guidelines the district put into effect last fall," that drew objections from students, parents and others.

Source: Star Tribune

On June 27, 2001, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that "rabbis in Judaism's Reform movement are expected to approve new guidelines...for conversion to Judaism that formally recommend a return to traditional rituals such as circumcision and ritual baths...The recommendations...reflect a renewed interest in traditional Jewish practice among what has long been considered the most theologically progressive branch."

Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette

On June 27, 2001, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that "the [Westboro, Massachusetts] Board of Selectmen...approved a menorah display for the downtown rotary in December, reversing its earlier position on the issue...Selectmen worried that allowing a menorah display would open it to any number of unwanted displays...Westboro Town Counsel Alan F. Dodd said in a report to selectmen last night that the town cannot forbid the free exchange of ideas at the rotary."

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On June 27, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "the nation's Reform rabbis are expected to make major changes in conversion guidelines today by embracing, for the first time in 100 years, traditional rituals such as circumcision long required by the other two branches of Judaism."

Source: The New York Times

On June 23, 2001, The New York Times reported on The Aufbau, a newspaper founded in New York by Jewish refugees from Hitler 67 years ago. It once contained articles by Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein and Hannah Arendt, and was read by "the tide of German and Austrian Jews that washed over New York in the 1930's and 1940's." Threatened with bankruptcy, it now "has restructured itself as a charitable foundation" and is making a comeback. It continues to cover stories related to the Holocaust.

Source: The Kansas City Star

On June 21, 2001, The Kansas City Star reported that "the leader of the National Conference for Community and Justice called on churches and synagogues to quash racism, bigotry and bias" at the organization's regional conference in Kansas City...He said faith-based groups in America have gotten away from fighting social ills such as racism because they have gotten too caught up with other issues."

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 19, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "southland Muslim and Jewish leaders decided...to restart a troubled interfaith dialogue group after Mideast tensions moved the Islamic side to freeze the effort last month...The group...has lost members in the last several months as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict stoked emotions and suspicions on both sides." Many, however, believe that the issues need to be squarely addressed in interfaith dialogue.

Source: The Boston Globe

On June 18, 2001, The Boston Globe reported on the arrival of Brooklyn-born Hasidic Jews and immigrants from Russia, Bosnia, Ukraine, Nigeria and Mexico to Postville, Iowa. "At first, the Iowans smiled stretched out their hands. But over time, they resented what they saw as the newcomers' unfriendly ways...[Some] say Postville, which has become a real-life model of diversity, immigration, and demographic shifts, proves Iowa is not [psychologically and socially] ready for a mass immigration...Of all the newcomers...the Hasidic Jews...