Religious News From Around the Web June 14, 2021

What Hath COVID Wrought? Rabbi, Reverend and Imam on Coping; Amid Anti-Semitism, a Demonstration of Unity; Supreme Court Cases to Watch; Are Young Jews and Older Jews Alike? Justice Department Says It Can Defend Religious Civil Rights Exemption

What Hath COVID Wrought? Rabbi, Reverend and Imam on Coping
“ … COVID in our presence has been a time to really reflect upon my own mortality and the fact that we have to seize life as it stands in front of us. And that’s what these last few months have been like for me.” – Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, who leads the Modern Orthodox congregation at Ohev Sholom; The National Synagogue in Washington, D.C.

Amid Anti-Semitism, a Demonstration of Unity
A Unite for Israel Parade, in Teaneck, N.J., drew some 5,000 participants in a demonstration of unity amid a recent rise of antisemitism around the world. “Our message is remarkably simple and positive,” said Yehuda Kohn, an event organizer. “We support Israel.”

Supreme Court Cases to Watch
“The toughest cases are those that pit one right against another, and Fulton is precisely such a case. There will be discrimination against someone when the case is decided. Some of the questions raised in oral arguments focused on whether the state’s interest in preventing discrimination against same-sex couples was akin to its interest in preventing discrimination against couples based on race.”

Are Young Jews and Older Jews Alike?

Jews ages 18 to 29 are just as likely as those 65 and older to say they attend religious services at least monthly (22 percent each) and about as likely to say they believe in God or some other higher power (76 percent and 72 percent). But that’s only part of the story. On many other issues, America’s youngest and oldest Jewish adults are very different.

Justice Department Says It Can Defend Religious Civil Rights Exemption

The Justice Department in a June 8th court filing said it can “vigorously” defend a religious exemption from federal civil rights law that allows federally funded religious schools to discriminate against LGBTQ students, a move that surprised some LGBTQ advocates who said the wording went further than just an obligation to defend an existing law.