Civic

Orthodox Jews Face Prejudice In New Jersey Town

April 15, 2001

Source: The Record

On April 15, 2001, The Record reported that "Orthodox leaders say Tenafly's eruv has been vandalized several times in recent months, and police are investigating." The vandalism began in December, when U.S. District Judge William G. Bassler issued a temporary restraining order allowing the eruv to remain while the court case proceeds. Those that are caught tampering with the eruv risk being charged with a bias crime.

Poll Finds Social Action Is of Primary Importance to Most Jews

April 14, 2001

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On April 14, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "a poll of U.S. Jews suggests they're generally more interested in social action than religious matters...Asked to pick which is more important, 56 percent favored work for social justice vs. 6 percent for studying the Torah."

Rabbi Honored with Cronkite Award

April 13, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On April 13, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "Steven B. Jacobs, a Woodland Hills [California] rabbi who has championed social justice issues and traveled to Kosovo on a 1999 peace mission with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, will receive the third annual Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award. Jacobs...has been outspoken nationally and locally on labor and race issues."

Maryland Court Permits Religious Discrimination in Hiring Practices

April 13, 2001

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On April 13, 2001, The Baltimore Sun reported that Maryland's Court of Appeals "struck down a Montgomery County measure that barred religious institutions from religious discrimination in hiring for jobs in which faith plays little or no role...The "attorney for the church-affiliated Montrose Christian School in Rockville, which won the case,... said he thought that the decision was perhaps the first in which a state's highest court ruled on federal First Amendment grounds on this issue." In 1996 the school fired two workers...

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Religion-Based Program Tries to Rehabilitate Prisoners

April 12, 2001

Source: The New York Times

On April 12, 2001, The New York Times reported on the InnerChange Freedom Initiative, a religion-based program in a medium-security prison near Des Moines "that would seem likely to interest the Bush administration...It works under contract with the state to rehabilitate felons." The article reported that results from the program "are still emerging." Whether the program would be excluded from government funding under Bush's faith-based initiative because acceptance of a religious message is central to its work "remains to be seen...

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Baha'i Website Offers News Service

April 12, 2001

Source: One Country

On October 1, 2000, "One Country" reported that "the Baha'i International Community launched an Internet-based news service on 4 December 2000. The Baha'i World News Service (BWNS) reports on the activities, projects and events of the worldwide Baha'i community." The service intends to provide information about Baha'i events around the world for secular news services, as well as for interested individuals. The website may be found at "bahaiworldnews.org"".

Survey Reveals Reservations of Public Toward Faith-Based Initiative

April 11, 2001

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

On April 11, 2001, The Christian Science Monitor reported that "the extent of Americans' reservations over [Bush's] faith-based initiative, as shown in a new nationwide poll, indicates that the proposal may have a tough time getting through Congress...On eligibility to receive funding, most Americans would not extend that right to non-Judeo-Christian groups, such as Muslims, Buddhists, Nation of Islam, or the Church of Scientology. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints squeaks by with just 51 percent backing...

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Survey Reveals Reservations of Public Toward Faith-Based Initiative

April 11, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

On April 11, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "most Americans strongly support the basic idea behind" Bush's faith-based initiative, "but they oppose key elements of the proposal," according to a national survey. Among the worries of the public are fears that Christian groups will be favored, that religious groups will discriminate in their hiring practices or try to force their views on those they're helping, and that federal funding will force religious organizations to "to water down their views."

Survey Reveals Reservations of Public Toward Faith-Based Initiative

April 11, 2001

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On April 11, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "most Americans favor President Bush's plan for directing public money to faith-based charities, but many don't support funding Muslims, Buddhists or the Nation of Islam, according to a poll...Only 38 percent favored giving money to Muslim mosques or Buddhist temples. Twenty-nine percent said the Nation of Islam should be eligible, and 26 percent said the Church of Scientology should be eligible."

Members of Some Religious Groups Refuse to Vote

April 10, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

ON April 10, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported on religious groups who abstain from voting in elections. "As far as [a Jehovah's witness is] concerned, he's already voted--for God...Some ultraconservative Christian groups don't vote as another way of keeping themselves apart from a sinful society...The Mennonites believe that society is never warranted in taking a life, even in the course of law enforcement. The clash between their views and society's mores has led some members of the faith to decide not to participate in the...

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Orthodox Jews Face Prejudice In New Jersey Town

April 10, 2001

Source: The Record

On April 10, 2001, The Record published an opinion piece, which said that "the construction of an eruv is simple and unobtrusive, and is an overall benefit to any community with a growing Orthodox Jewish presence." The writer offered the eruv in West Orange, New Jersey, as an example.

Editorial Calls Public Wary of Government Funding of Religious Groups

April 9, 2001

Source: The American Prospect

On April 9, 2001, The American Prospect published an article by Wendy Kaminer on "rival religious groups fighting over federal funds" from Bush's faith-based initiative. She writes that "the public probably opposes the funding of unpopular religions more than it supports religious equality."

ACLU Protests Public Schools' Field Trip to a Church

April 7, 2001

Source: The Times-Picayune

On April 7, 2001, The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that "the American Civil Liberties Union has formally protested a New Orleans public school field trip to a church where students were urged to give their lives to Jesus Christ...Teachers at six or more middle and high schools bused almost 1,000 students...[to a church] to see a play about classroom violence, the fragility of life and the importance of faith in Jesus Christ as the only key to salvation."

Boston-Area Minister Promotes Faith-Based Initiative as Help to Fellow Blacks

April 7, 2001

Source: The New York Times

On April 7, 2001, The New York Times reported on Rev. Eugene F. Rivers of Dorchester, Massachusetts, who "is getting national attention as he lauds the possibility that a conservative Republican administration may provide a vital tool for helping fellow blacks and criticizes those religious conservatives who appear to be resisting" Bush's faith-based initiative. Mr. Rivers said, "The faith-based initiative is really a new opportunity for communities serving the poor to develop new leadership and policy issues."

House Approves Controversial School-Prayer Bill

April 6, 2001

Source: The Tampa Tribune

On April 6, 2001, The Tampa Tribune reported that "a House panel approved a school-prayer bill...after a raw debate over whether it would encourage spirituality or engender intolerance among students. The bill would permit prayer at graduations and student gatherings at secondary schools if both school boards and students agree." The bill remains controversial among legislators, parents, educators, and community members.

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