Polish rabbis ordained
on WWII anniversary
WARSAW, Poland — A spokesman says four rabbis educated in Germany were ordained in southwestern Poland in a sign of reviving Jewish life in mainly Catholic Poland.
The rare ceremony Tuesday at the White Stork Synagogue in Wroclaw was held a day after the 75th anniversary of the German attack on Poland, which sparked World War II and the Holocaust that wiped out much of Europe’s Jewish citizens.
Among some 350 attendees, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned anti-Semitism and said Jewish communities should be at the heart of every society.
Hartmut Bomhoff, of the Abraham Geiger College in Potsdam, Germany, said Wednesday the ordination of its graduates marked 140 years since the death of Geiger, a Jewish scholar who founded Europe’s first modern rabbinical seminary in Wroclaw in 1854.
— The Associated Press
City, temple reach
settlement in dispute
MIAMI — A settlement has been reached between a South Florida city and a Jewish temple in a long-running dispute pitting religious freedom and property rights against historic preservation.
Temple B’nai Zion attorney Keith D. Silverstein said Tuesday the agreement keeps in place the Sunny Isles Beach temple’s historic designation but allows some valuable new development rights. The temple also is being paid $175,000.
The temple had claimed in the four-year legal fight that Sunny Isles Beach was improperly using its historic designation powers to prevent any changes. The lawsuit was dismissed once by a Miami federal judge but reinstated by a federal appeals court.
— The Associated Press
Mormon library puts
treasures on display
SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday unveiled a new collection that features some of the faith’s most treasured artifacts, including a page from the original Book of Mormon manuscript written by founder Joseph Smith.
The “Foundations of Faith” exhibit that opened to the public Thursday in the church’s history library in Salt Lake City also includes 26 other books, manuscripts and documents that go back to the early days of Mormonism.
The exhibit contains first printed editions of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. All are keystone documents for the faith that counts 15 million members worldwide and is based in Salt Lake City.
— The Associated Press
Church to close
in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio church known for its inclusiveness is set to close this month.
When a group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics was banned from a nearby parish, Beacon Hill Presbyterian Church opened its doors. The neighborhood association, artists and recovery groups also used the space.
But the San Antonio Express-News reports Beacon Hill will hold its last service after 117 years this weekend. Over the years its congregation has dwindled as have the funds.
Church lay leader Sally Lewis says it’s sad that the church will close but the congregation has become too small for the space.
— The Associated Press