Judaism

Restoration of Washington's First Synagogue

June 7, 2001

Source: District Extra

On June 7, 2001, District Extra reported that the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington is staging a reenactment of the Adas Israel synagogue in 1876. "The event...is intended to highlight the evolution of Washington's Jewish community and to launch a complete restoration of the synagogue, the first built in the city."

Candidate for New Jersey Governor Prevails Despite Islamophobia

June 7, 2001

Source: The Star-Ledger

http://www.njo.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/elections/ledger/137a647.html

On June 7, 2001, The Star-Ledger reported on Bret Schundler, a Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey. "Schundler was the keynote speaker at an April 28 gathering of the American Muslim Alliance's New Jersey chapter...He shared the podium with AMA President Agha Saeed...In addition to Saeed, several other...

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New Interfaith Group: Religious Witness for the Earth

June 7, 2001

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

On June 7, 2001, The Christian Science Monitor reported that "religious groups are responding [to Bush's policies] in active voice...seeking to bring shared moral concerns to bear on a range of public issues...A group of 165 Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, and Buddhist clergy recently formed Religious Witness for the Earth to urge action on global warming, oppose drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and seek a conservation-friendly energy policy."

Students Hold Rally to Protest Taliban's Discrimination Against Hindus

June 7, 2001

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On June 7, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported on "the Davis Academy students who held a rally last week to protest a Taliban requirement that minority Hindus wear yellow armbands to distinguish them from Muslims." Davis is a Reform Jewish school in Atlanta.

Los Angeles Dialogue Between Jews and Muslims Interrupted over Recent Events in Middle East

June 6, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On June 6, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "a landmark Muslim-Jewish dialogue group in Los Angeles has stopped meeting after Islamic leaders requested a freeze amid outrage in their community over Israeli behavior in the Mideast...Muslims complained that they felt they were expected to...condemn Palestinian violence without Jews doing the same for Israeli excesses. Jewish leaders expressed frustration that Muslims were not self-critical enough." Five Jewish leaders sent a letter to the senior advisor to the Muslim council...

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Exodus of Israelis, Palestinians and Arab Christians from Middle East

June 5, 2001

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On June 5, 2001, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that "worn down by eight months of violence that shows no sign of easing, many Israelis and Palestinians [and Arab Christians] are packing their bags for the United States or Canada... Many of the people leaving are moderates who want peace... The Jews who are leaving [reportedly] feel guilty...that they are abandoning the country that was created to provide Jews a safe haven."

D.C.'s Oldest Synagogue Celebrates 125th Anniversary

June 4, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

On June 4, 2001, The Washington Post reported on the 125th anniversary of Washington, D.C.'s oldest synagogue, Adas Israel. "In 1869, 38 German immigrant families who disapproved of the Washington Hebrew Congregation's reform innovations decided to found the Adas Israel congregation." In 1969, when the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority wanted to raze the building, the Jewish Historical Society saved the building from destruction by proposing it be moved.

Militant Hindus and Jews in New York Unite Against Common Muslim Enemy

June 2, 2001

Source: The New York Times

On June 2, 2001, The New York Times reported that a group of militant Hindus in Queens and Long Island and a group of radical Jews in Brooklyn "have discovered that sharing a distant enemy is sufficient basis for friendship. So tight is their anti-Muslim bond that some of the Hindus marched alongside the Jews in the annual Salute to Israel Parade on Fifth Avenue...Several of the Jews joined a protest outside the United Nations against the treatment of Hindus in Afghanistan by the Taliban regime."

German Government Seeks Help from U.S. Jewish Groups in Fight against Intolerance

June 2, 2001

Source: The National Journal

On June 2, 2001, The National Journal reported that "the German government-criticized in the past for not addressing the issues of racism and intolerance strongly enough, and alarmed about the spike in hate crimes-is moving ahead with a broad-based legal and educational campaign...designed to change people's behavior and attitudes...And they have asked for help from...American Jewish organizations and educational groups."

Students and Parents Object to Religious Songs in Ohio Public Schools

June 1, 2001

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On June 1, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported that "some students and parents object to the singing of explicitly religious lyrics in public schools. These critics -- including the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, which filed a lawsuit against Columbus schools last month on behalf of three families -- think the practice violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause." The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Ohio chapter's president said he has no problem with the songs as long as they are initiated by students...

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Religious Leaders in New York Protest Taliban's Dress Code for Hindus

June 1, 2001

Source: The Jerusalem Post

On June 1, 2001, The Jerusalem Post reported that "lined up along the Holocaust Memorial Wall across from the United Nations headquarters, Jewish, Christian, and Hindu leaders wore yellow stickers and spoke out in solidarity with Afghan Hindus, who are being forced by the nation's ruling Taliban movement to wear saffron- colored garments...Jewish and Israeli leaders condemned the [Taliban's dress-code] ruling, declaring it reminiscent of the Nazi era and the Holocaust."

Sacred Dance Part of Many Different Religions

May 30, 2001

Source: The Denver Post

On May 30, 2001, The Denver Post reported on "sacred dancers [who] praise God through movement...Some dance for their congregations, others as a private form of prayer...They share a conviction that movement deepens the spiritual experience...Sacred dance...has a place in many religions and was part of the early Jewish and Christian church."

Torah Stolen from Temple in Queens

May 29, 2001

Source: The New York Times

On May 29, 2001, The New York Times reported that "a Torah reported to be worth more than $30,000 was stolen from Emple Ohel Simcha in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens."

Jewish Children in Queens Learn Ancient Method of Writing Jewish Documents

May 27, 2001

Source: Newsday

On May 27, 2001, Newsday that a group of Jewish children from Queens recently learned "the highly skilled art of writing - by hand, letter by letter - holy Jewish documents. It was a timely lesson and they experienced it first-hand from Rabbi Yehuda Clapman, a Torah sofer, or scribe, who was visiting their Hebrew school in honor of the Jewish holiday of Shavuoth - when the Jewish nation received the Ten Commandments...Jewish law requires that the Torah, and other Hebrew religious documents...must be handwritten, and that each and every...

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