Civic

Oakland A's Raise Money for Rebuilding Synagogues

July 31, 1999

Source: Sacramento Bee

On July 31, 1999, the Sacramento Bee reported that when the Oakland A's play the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, August 5th, Sacramento area rabbis whose synagogues were damaged by arson will throw the first pitch. Tickets for the game will be discounted, with plaza level seats for $8 and field level seats for $10, and $3 per specially ordered ticket will go toward rebuilding the synagogues. Marty London, cantor of Kenesset Israel Torah, is expected to sing the national anthem.

The United Against Hate Gospel Concert

July 25, 1999

Source: Sacramento Bee

On July 25, 1999, the Sacramento Bee reported that the United Against Hate Gospel Concert took place on July 24th at the Samuel C. Pannell Community Center in the Sacramento area of California. More than 200 people attended the interfaith concert to show support for one another in the aftermath of the three synagogue arsons. Rev. Ronald E. Bell, a Progressive Church of God in Christ minister who planned the event, stated: "These events are vitally important because people need to know that any time a church is attacked, we're all...

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The Day of Mindfulness in Oakland, California

July 24, 1999

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On July 24, 1999, The San Francisco Chronicle published an article on the upcoming Day of Mindfulness to be held in Oakland, California in mid-September. As many as 5,000 people are expected to flock to Lakeside Park on the shores of Lake Merritt to experience the first-ever day of meditation in an urban setting. The event will be lead by Vietnamese meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh and will include walking and sitting practice and a discussion on how to employ Buddhist practices in everyday life. Mayor of Oakland Jerry...

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Bollard vs. California Province of the Society of Jesus

July 18, 1999

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On July 18, 1999, the St. Petersburg Times published an article on a court case, Bollard vs. California Province of the Society of Jesus, that presents a difficult church-state problem. John Bollard, who was training for the Jesuit priesthood and teaching at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in San Francisco and then at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley from 1989 to 1996, claims that two priests "who could control his fate within the church would send him pornographic cards of sexually aroused men." Bollard, who...

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Freedom of Religion Issues in Government

June 27, 1999

Source: The Boston Globe

On June 27, 1999, The Boston Globe published an article on the stances being taken by presidential contenders on the issue of religion in politics. Both George W. Bush and Al Gore are in favor of giving federal moneys to faith-based organizations to administer government services, like drug treatment, combating homelessness, and youth-violence prevention programs. Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People...

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Kosovar Refugees Headed to New Orleans

June 24, 1999

Source: The Times-Picayune

On June 24, 1999, The Times-Picayune reported that at least 50 refugees from Kosovo are coming to the New Orleans area. They will first go to a Catholic Charities guest house, during which they will seek jobs and permanent lodgings. Catholic Charities in New Orleans may accept up to 100 refugees from Kosovo before the year's end, but they receive only $290 to resettle each refugee. The state of Louisiana gets between $400,000 and $500,000 annually to provide refugees with help in finding employment, learning English, and...

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Freedom of Religion Issues in Government

June 22, 1999

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

On June 22, 1999, The Christian Science Monitor published an article on the current decisions made by the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court on issues dealing with the separation of church and state. The House of Representatives voted by a margin of 248 to 180 to approve a bill that would allow states to display the Ten Commandments in public schools. The Supreme Court decided a case that allows parents in Milwaukee to use publicly funded education vouchers to send their children to parochial schools.

Synagogue Arson in California

June 21, 1999

Source: Sacramento Bee

On June 21, 1999, the Sacramento Bee reported that several community leaders in Sacramento called for the creation of a Sacramento "museum of tolerance" at a rally held across the street from Congregation B'nai Israel. Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna Jr. and Assemblyperson Darrell Steinberg vowed to raise the resources, both publicly and privately, to construct a museum that would be similar to Los Angeles' Museum of Tolerance at the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Synagogue Arson in California

June 19, 1999

Source: Sacramento Bee

On June 19, 1999, the Sacramento Bee reported on the efforts by area temples to help the three congregations. Area congregations have donated prayer books, Torahs, and sanctuary space. Marc Carrel, chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council, stated: "Any incident against one house of worship is an act of violence against the whole community. Every Sacramentan should be outraged." Mosaic Law Congregation, a Conservative synagogue, opened its doors to Congregation Beth Shalom to have Shabbat services and a Bat Mitzvah ceremony...

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Interfaith Efforts

June 18, 1999

Source: The Boston Herald

On June 18, 1999, The Boston Herald published an article on the nonprofit Boston Justice Ministries, which is a coalition of eleven area churches and synagogues who have worked over the past year to help free women from violent domestic situations while honoring their beliefs. Rev. Anne Marie Hunter, a United Methodist minister who founded Boston Justice Ministries, stated: "There were too many women of faith that I was hearing from that were staying in abusive relationships because of their faith. Also, I was hearing about people'...

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Interfaith Efforts

June 13, 1999

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On June 13, 1999, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the Racine Interfaith Coalition in Racine, Wisconsin collected 107 guns in a weekend "buy-back" on June 5-6, which was designed to make streets safer. The Coalition raised close to $20,000 for the buy-back to provide $50 and $100 gift certificates for the Regency Mall in Wisconsin to those who returned the guns. The persons returning the guns were asked no questions; seven illegal weapons were among the 107.

Interfaith Efforts

June 9, 1999

Source: Sacramento Bee

On June 9, 1999, the Sacramento Bee reported that a coalition of religious leaders in the Northern California Interreligious Conference and the California Council of Churches have produced a report entitled, "Welfare Reform: Public Policy and Theological Reflections," which aims to spell out needed changes in CalWORKS, the California program that seeks to trim the welfare load by 80 percent. The report contains findings based on conversations of clergy and public policy specialists with social service providers, religious leaders,...

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Florida Moves to Preserve the Miami Circle

May 25, 1999

Source: The Miami Herald

On May 25, 1999, The Miami Herald reported that Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Cabinet decided to make the Miami Circle, a 38-foot-diameter stone formation in downtown Miami that dates back to the Tequesta Indians, a priority for the state land purchasing program. The Circle became a controversial discovery when developers unearthed the site on land that had been purchased to build a large office complex. The fate of the Circle, which is on the south bank of the Miami River, is still in limbo. The county has sued the developer...

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Religious Leaders in Cleveland Attempting to Help Poor

May 20, 1999

Source: The Plain Dealer

On May 20, 1999, The Plain Dealer reported that a dozen Muslim, Christian, and Jewish clergy, representing about 1.2 million Northeast Ohioans, met at a Cleveland mosque on May 19th to discuss how they can more effectively deal with the growing numbers of poor people who are seeking their aid. An interfaith coalition has formed around this issue due to the recent experiences of many religious communities in attempting to help those whose public assistance benefits have run out. Welfare caseloads in Ohio are at their lowest levels...

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The Changing Face of Judaism

May 17, 1999

Source: The Denver Post

On May 17, 1999, The Denver Post reported that 100 volunteers from the Jewish community in Denver cleaned up the paupers' section of Golden Hill Cemetery, which contains the graves of Jewish tuberculosis victims from the early 1900s who fled from New York to Denver to seek treatment. Historian Ron Sladek stated: "In those times, when people got on the trains to Denver, their families would just kiss them goodbye and basically write them off for dead. They knew they weren't ever going to see them again." The clean-up continues a 10-...

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