More than a dozen men in Minnesota's Sex Offender Program are suing the state's human services department, alleging the agency has banned the practice of religious gatherings for more than six months in the wake of COVID-19.

Attorney Erick Kaardal, who filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of 15 clients, said the restrictions inside the Moose Lake facility continued even after a June executive order from Gov. Tim Walz that allowed places of worship to reopen at 50 percent capacity.

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The coronavirus pandemic has posed daunting challenges for houses of worship across the U.S., often entailing large financial losses and suspension of in-person services. It also has sparked moments of gratitude, wonder and inspiration.

In the Chicago suburb of Cary, Lutheran pastor Sarah Wilson recorded a sermon aboard a small plane piloted by a congregation member. The video that went online showed a high-up view of idyllic landscapes.

Original Source: Boston 25 News
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A few years ago, Sam Ogden heard that someone carved a swastika into a Steamboat Springs High School student’s car along with other Nazi-inspired vandalism. The incidents made the local and national news. He said a few Steamboat friends acted shocked.

They told Ogden, “’This isn’t the Steamboat I know. … This isn’t the Steamboat I graduated from,’” he said.

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In normal years, High Holy Days services hosted by Mishkan Chicago, an inclusive Jewish community based on the city’s North Side, sell out the 1,200-seat Vic Theatre.

Since the novel coronavirus put an end to in-person gatherings, the community has gotten by with virtual meeting platforms and Facebook, but its leadership knew group chats or glitchy Zoom boxes would be no replacement for the Vic.

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As the University of Miami continues to respond to pandemic, Father Philip Tran the university’s full-time chaplain at St. Augustine Parish says UM’s religious organizations are also concerned about the spiritual health of the student body.

He, along with the rest of the religious organizations at UM, say they are trying to adapt in order to make sure their members can still be a part of their religious communities.

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When the Rev. Tenku Ruff, a Soto Zen Buddhist priest, took over as the pastoral care director at Phelps Hospital Northwell Health in Sleepy Hollow in June, she knew she was entering uncharted territory: She was taking on the hospital-based position in the middle of a pandemic.

As she spoke to doctors and other staff, she heard about Chaplain Cyril Owambo, who early in the pandemic, was asked to counsel a family whose loved one had just died of COVID-19.

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Edith Klein-Dreezer sits in the front row of a synagogue in a senior home in Roslindale on a sunny November Friday.

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Rules and regulations around coronavirus and its impact on school and work have been challenging to accommodate ever-changing data and cases. 

Some have said that these rules and regulations have interfered with their religious freedoms. 

Dr. Karan Singh and Dr. Omri Margalit are University of Washington School of Dentistry students who have had to find alternative ways to finish up their degrees while staying true to their faith.

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In less than two weeks, the High Holidays will arrive in the midst of this unprecedented pandemic. While it may be a challenge to engage worshippers, it’s not impossible. This past month, clergy across Judaism’s denominations shared their thoughts on recreating a High Holiday experience without people in the pews.

All were confident about conveying the importance of repentance and beginning anew during a pandemic. And all agreed that worship would look different. The shofar, for example, will be heard in new, socially distanced ways. Some shofar-blowers are placing a mask at...

A northern New Jersey town has reached an agreement in a federal lawsuit that accused it of illegally denying an Orthodox Jewish group’s attempt to expand its footprint, the U.S. attorney’s office for New Jersey announced Tuesday.

If the agreement is approved by a judge, Woodcliff Lake will allow Valley Chabad to expand its existing property, and will pay the group $1.5 million to settle a separate lawsuit filed by the group against the town.

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COVID-19 impacted so much this year, but it isn’t stopping the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles from blasting the shofar for the entire city to hear.

On Sept. 20, L.A. Jews can welcome in 5781 with the Shofar Wave.

Source: L.A. Shofar Wave Aims to Bring Jewish...

Johns Creek Presbyterian Church has turned its west parking lot into a spiritual studio.

The worship space is equipped with a public address system, live music and a local FM receiver with enough power to spread the Gospel to cars in the back rows. 

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It's a religious obligation for Jews: affixing a mezuzah on their door post. It's a sign those inside live a Jewish life. 

"These are the mezuzah, which are from Israel, written by scribes. It’s hand-written,“ said the Chabad Mitzvah Society Director Mendy Ceitlin. 

The Chabad Mitzvah Society in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, created these do-it-yourself kits, providing a step-by-step guide for putting up a mezuzah. 

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The Hillel Jewish Student Union used to pack hundreds of students into its Forbes Avenue building almost every Friday evening. Although students can no longer gather in crowded rooms, they’re still spending their Fridays with a few friends and a whole lot of challah.

From socially distant Shabbat to virtual Bible studies to international pen pal programs, students of various religions are solidifying their faith and their communities while following public health guidelines. Faith...

While balancing parenthood alone during a pandemic can challenging, adding eviction to the equation can be heartbreaking.

“My heart dropped for the simple fact that I was homeless before with my four kids,” Mary Ratchford-Bass said after losing her job as an office cleaner.

“Once the pandemic hit, they went to working from home and that left us with little to no work to do,” she said.

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