Source: The Buffalo News

On November 18, 2000, the Buffalo News reported that "'Let There Be Peace on Earth' will be the theme of the annual intercultural-interfaith Thanksgiving observance at 7 p.m. Monday at Villa Maria Academy, 600 Doat St., Cheektowaga. The service, co-sponsored by the National Conference for Community and Justice and the Network of Religious Communities, will be one of several ecumenical and community events held locally to celebrate Thanksgiving. Lana Benatovich, Conference executive director, said the interfaith observance will be...

Source: The Kansas City Star

On November 18, 2000, the Kansas City Star reported that "Interfaith Thanksgiving services have become a tradition throughout the Kansas City area. But Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn, the new spiritual leader at the New Reform Temple, wants more. He'd like for the service in the Brookside area to be just the beginning of broader interfaith cooperation. Traditionally five congregations have joined for the service. This year they will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the New Reform Temple, 7100 Main St...'Thanksgiving is the ultimate...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 18, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that "Pastor Craig Brown of United Methodist of Thousand Oaks said prayer is a two-way communication between an individual and God that can be expressed in different forms: written prayer, extemporaneous praying that's created as a person speaks, silent prayer, hymn singing, or intercessory prayers done on behalf of others...According to the Rev. George Reynolds, associate pastor at Our Lady of the Assumption in Ventura, the Roman Catholic Church teaches there is a need for...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On November 16, 2000, the St. Petersburg Times reported that "Students at ComeUnity Montessori School learn about other cultures through hands-on cooking and crafts. Children at ComeUnity Montessori School are encouraged to appreciate the cultural differences in the world while emphasizing the many similarities among people of different countries and religions. One of the ways they do that is with celebrations of a diverse array of holidays. The first one they celebrated this school year was Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year....

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On November 15, 2000, the Houston Chronicle reported that "Indo-Americans in Houston gathered to cheer on their first community center project on a night unmistakably stamped of native India with a sitar's ethereal sound resonating, a Kashmirian dance's rhythmic flux and red curry's signature aroma. The kick off of the undertaking at the Indian Culture Center's annual gala means closure to an era when more than 60 Indo-American groups, including the ICC, had to organize in their leaders' homes and garages. Ground-breaking is...

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On November 11, 2000, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that the "Self-Realization Fellowship is not a religion, but a nonprofit organization that seeks to help followers find deeper levels of spiritual awareness through meditation and kriya yoga. These techniques are based on practice and inner experience rather than a particular set of religious beliefs. 'We honor all paths,' says Atlanta coordinator Randy Bundy, a member of SRF since 1973. The Atlanta chapter attracts members from as far away as...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On November 11, 2000, The Baltimore Sun reported that "For years, Roman Catholic leaders have forged warm and friendly ties with Imam W. Deen Mohammed, leader of the Chicago-based Muslim American Society, the nation's largest body of African-American Muslims. Mohammed has become a friend of Baltimore Cardinal William H. Keeler, who in 1996 escorted the son of the late Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad to Rome to meet Pope John Paul II. The next year, Mohammed invited Chiara Lubich, founder of Focolare, a worldwide lay...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On November 10, 2000, The Columbus Dispatch reported that "Mazhar Jalil, Norman Hosansky and Monsignor Stephan Moloney...are members of a committee that has organized the 'Building Religious Tolerance' conference Nov. 19 at the Fawcett Center at Ohio State University." This is the first time that Central Ohio Muslims, Christians, and Jews have met all together. The representatives say that the initiative is due partly to the increasing number of Muslism in the area. In response to growing diversity, the community wants to...

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On November 10, 2000, the Chicago Sun Times reported that "while two Arab-American teens appeared in a North Side courtroom Thursday, charged with firing marbles at Jews, attorneys with heritage on both sides of the Middle East divide met in a groundbreaking goodwill luncheon at the Chicago Bar Association." Stuart Nudelman, a Jewish judge and Samuel J. Betar III, an Arab-American judge, co-chaired the meeting. "Members of the Arab-American Bar Association and the Decalogue Society of Jewish lawyers agreed they want youth in this...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On November 10, 2000, The Baltimore Sun reported that "Recognizing the school system's growing diversity, the Howard County Board of Education will consider renaming religious holidays on the yearly school calendar to eliminate all nonsecular references. At last night's board meeting, school district spokeswoman Patti Caplan recommended the board move to a 'purely secular calendar' by calling holiday periods - such as Christmas, Easter, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur - 'board-approved' holidays...But Sandra H. French, the board...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On November 10, 2000, the St. Petersburg Times reported that "Employees have been directed to eliminate all workplace holiday displays, decorations and celebrations. That means no Christmas trees, figures of Santa Claus or any item with a 'religious holiday connotation.' The new rules, which came as a surprise to the city administrator and chief assistant city attorney, are isolated to the Police Department. And the mandate has sparked a firestorm. Officers and employees are asking: If a Christmas tree can go up in the city's...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On November 9, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that "For the third time in two weeks, the Islamic Center of Southern California has been vandalized; police are investigating the incidents as hate crimes. Salam Al-Marayati, national director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said that, in the past, similar acts have been triggered by tensions between Palestinians and Israelis in the Mideast. But he could not recall three other incidents in such a short time span. In response, officials have heightened security at the...

Source: Omaha World-Herald

On November 9, 2000, the Omaha World-Herald reported that "the Papillion City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to approve an ordinance that would regulate the holiday displays in the [city] park...The new ordinance requires residents to apply for a permit between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30. All requests must designate a Papillion resident as caretaker for the decoration, which can be displayed from Nov. 15 through Jan. 3 and fit inside a 20-foot-by-20-foot space...One of the factors prompting the council action was a letter from...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/main/document.html?QIID=000000063404160&FMT=FT&FMTS=FT

On November 8, 2000, the St. Petersburg Times published an article entitled "Blessing from Buddha Gives Restaurant Karma."

Source: The Seattle Times

On November 7, 2000, The Seattle Times reported that "The Kent School District recently modified its holiday-observance guidelines to become more sensitive to the growing diversity of religious and cultural beliefs in its schools. But some parents and community members are accusing the state's fourth-largest school district of turning into the Grinch who stole Christmas. The district was flooded with dozens of phone calls and e-mails last week about its new restrictions on winter holiday decorations and activities. Critics said the...