An Orthodox Jewish police detective will get $350,000 from the Las Vegas police department to settle a lawsuit after he was prohibited from having a beard and wearing a yarmulke.
Liesl Freedman, the department's attorney, said Jan 26 that plainclothes Detective Steve Riback would be allowed to have a neatly trimmed beard no longer than a quarter inch.
Freedman said Riback also would be allowed to wear a baseball hat without a logo or with the department's logo.
Under the settlement in the religious-accommodation case, Riback has agreed to not to seek a promotion or transfer for at least two years.
Freedman said that if Riback transferred in the future to a section that doesn't allow hats or beards, he would have to file a new religious-accommodation request.
Showing posts with label victory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label victory. Show all posts
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Hanukkah ceremony may rekindle spiritual fire
"Every drop is a blessing, according to tradition," said Langer. "May you be drenched by rain."
Reframing common events, even rain in darkness, in religious terms is at the essence of Langer's work: trying to bring secular Jews into greater religious practice. Though Chabad Lubavitchers like him occupy a tiny piece of the Jewish diaspora, they have had a pronounced effect on defining Hanukkah in the American public sphere.
And, in many ways, the story of that impact can be told through the menorah in Union Square.
The Bay Area's most public and frenzied shopping mecca is a peculiar place for lighting a menorah, a sacred eight-night event normally reserved for the intimacy of a home. But for Langer, who sees most Jews as having fallen far from true observance, that's the point. He and other Chabadniks, as they are known, are bringing Judaism out to the world - wherever it may be. There are Chabad Houses around the world, including Mumbai, where the rabbi and his wife were killed in the recent terrorist attacks.
At Hanukkah, Langer said, "the marketplace is where Jews are at."
The organizers are among the strictest followers of Jewish law. Langer told the audience that lighting a menorah at night is a metaphor for how simple acts of kindness add light to a dark world. Those acts multiplied, he said, will prompt the resurrection of the messiah, who will unite all Jews and lead them to Israel while also bringing everlasting peace to the world.
The event at Union Square offers a rare glimpse into the breadth of contemporary Jewish identity, particularly its margins.
On Sunday, there were young couples making out in the rain while others danced to the Hasidic rock band, Isaiah and the Prophets, who hail from the center of the Chabad universe, the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. Several attendees said the Union Square menorah lighting is the only religious event they'd attend all year.
"I worship the universe," said Nissim Lanyadoo, 59, who was born in Baghdad and moved to Israel and Montreal before settling in Tiburon. He doesn't attend synagogue at all - "it's a long story," he said - but he's been coming to the Union Square menorah lighting for years.
He said of the people gathered, dancing, playing with dreidels and eating latkes: "It's the way it's supposed to be: a joyous occasion."
David Moudgil grew up in a house where his father was Hindu and his mother was Jewish, but the parents didn't want to impose any one religious view. The San Pablo resident is raising his two daughters with the Catholic faith of his wife, but he still wants his children to have some connection to their Jewish roots.
"I just want my kids to learn more and expose them to more so they have more choices as they grow up," said Moudgil, 42.
That many have a peripheral connection to Jewish faith is, for Langer, emblematic of a larger dilemma. A poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that only 16 percent of Jews attend synagogue on a weekly basis.
But Langer said the contrast between his observance and many in the audience doesn't make the public menorah lighting any less important.
"You may never light a menorah again, but for that moment, you're totally immersed in an internal relationship with your maker," he said.
Now in its 34th year, the Union Square menorah lighting was a key to making Hanukkah a well-known holiday, despite its relatively minor role in Judaism. In 1975, Langer, two other Chabad rabbis and rock promoter Bill Graham held the first lighting of a large menorah in Union Square.
It was a concept the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the head of the denomination, saw as an opportunity, given how popular Christmas was in America, said Sue Fishkoff, an Oakland resident and author of the 2003 book, "The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch."
There are now hundreds upon hundreds of menorah lightings across the world, including ones in synagogues not run by Chabadniks. But the Chabad tradition has not been without controversy.
As rain poured on Union Square on Sunday night, Rabbi Yosef Langer called upon those gathered for the lighting of a giant menorah to imagine the cold downpour within the context of Jewish theology.
In 1986, several Jewish organizations and the American Civil Liberties Union sued Chabad and the city of Pittsburgh over that city's public menorah. Jews have often been at the forefront of church-state battles, given their history of being victimized by state-sanctioned religion.
In what has become a landmark case, the court ruled in 1989 in favor of Chabad, saying the menorah was an expression of free speech.
But at the lighting ceremonies, which continue through the week, several see it as an important stand for religious freedom.
Eric Perez, 49, of San Mateo, a rare synagogue attender, says the event protects his religious identity by allowing his faith "to be seen."
E-mail Matthai Kuruvila at mkuruvila@sfchronicle.com
Reframing common events, even rain in darkness, in religious terms is at the essence of Langer's work: trying to bring secular Jews into greater religious practice. Though Chabad Lubavitchers like him occupy a tiny piece of the Jewish diaspora, they have had a pronounced effect on defining Hanukkah in the American public sphere.
And, in many ways, the story of that impact can be told through the menorah in Union Square.
The Bay Area's most public and frenzied shopping mecca is a peculiar place for lighting a menorah, a sacred eight-night event normally reserved for the intimacy of a home. But for Langer, who sees most Jews as having fallen far from true observance, that's the point. He and other Chabadniks, as they are known, are bringing Judaism out to the world - wherever it may be. There are Chabad Houses around the world, including Mumbai, where the rabbi and his wife were killed in the recent terrorist attacks.
At Hanukkah, Langer said, "the marketplace is where Jews are at."
The organizers are among the strictest followers of Jewish law. Langer told the audience that lighting a menorah at night is a metaphor for how simple acts of kindness add light to a dark world. Those acts multiplied, he said, will prompt the resurrection of the messiah, who will unite all Jews and lead them to Israel while also bringing everlasting peace to the world.
The event at Union Square offers a rare glimpse into the breadth of contemporary Jewish identity, particularly its margins.
On Sunday, there were young couples making out in the rain while others danced to the Hasidic rock band, Isaiah and the Prophets, who hail from the center of the Chabad universe, the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. Several attendees said the Union Square menorah lighting is the only religious event they'd attend all year.
"I worship the universe," said Nissim Lanyadoo, 59, who was born in Baghdad and moved to Israel and Montreal before settling in Tiburon. He doesn't attend synagogue at all - "it's a long story," he said - but he's been coming to the Union Square menorah lighting for years.
He said of the people gathered, dancing, playing with dreidels and eating latkes: "It's the way it's supposed to be: a joyous occasion."
David Moudgil grew up in a house where his father was Hindu and his mother was Jewish, but the parents didn't want to impose any one religious view. The San Pablo resident is raising his two daughters with the Catholic faith of his wife, but he still wants his children to have some connection to their Jewish roots.
"I just want my kids to learn more and expose them to more so they have more choices as they grow up," said Moudgil, 42.
That many have a peripheral connection to Jewish faith is, for Langer, emblematic of a larger dilemma. A poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that only 16 percent of Jews attend synagogue on a weekly basis.
But Langer said the contrast between his observance and many in the audience doesn't make the public menorah lighting any less important.
"You may never light a menorah again, but for that moment, you're totally immersed in an internal relationship with your maker," he said.
Now in its 34th year, the Union Square menorah lighting was a key to making Hanukkah a well-known holiday, despite its relatively minor role in Judaism. In 1975, Langer, two other Chabad rabbis and rock promoter Bill Graham held the first lighting of a large menorah in Union Square.
It was a concept the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the head of the denomination, saw as an opportunity, given how popular Christmas was in America, said Sue Fishkoff, an Oakland resident and author of the 2003 book, "The Rebbe's Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch."
There are now hundreds upon hundreds of menorah lightings across the world, including ones in synagogues not run by Chabadniks. But the Chabad tradition has not been without controversy.
As rain poured on Union Square on Sunday night, Rabbi Yosef Langer called upon those gathered for the lighting of a giant menorah to imagine the cold downpour within the context of Jewish theology.
In 1986, several Jewish organizations and the American Civil Liberties Union sued Chabad and the city of Pittsburgh over that city's public menorah. Jews have often been at the forefront of church-state battles, given their history of being victimized by state-sanctioned religion.
In what has become a landmark case, the court ruled in 1989 in favor of Chabad, saying the menorah was an expression of free speech.
But at the lighting ceremonies, which continue through the week, several see it as an important stand for religious freedom.
Eric Perez, 49, of San Mateo, a rare synagogue attender, says the event protects his religious identity by allowing his faith "to be seen."
E-mail Matthai Kuruvila at mkuruvila@sfchronicle.com
Monday, June 16, 2008
Chabad Wins Appeal Against the Russian Federation in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Landmark Ruling Clears Way for Chabad to Pursue Recovering Archive of Sacred Books Stolen by Nazis During World War II, Soviet Red Army in U.S. Courts WASHINGTON, June 13
WASHINGTON, June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- In a landmark ruling today, the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that Agudas
Chasidei Chabad of United States (Chabad) may pursue its claims in a U.S.
federal court against the Russian Federation, the Russian Ministry of Culture
and Mass Communication, the Russian State Library, and the Russian State
Military Archive to recover a collection of sacred religious books and
archives.
The D.C. Circuit held that a U.S. federal court has jurisdiction over
Chabad's claims to recover an archive of sacred books and manuscripts which
were stolen by the Nazis during World War II and then taken by the Soviet Red
Army to Moscow in 1945 in violation of international law. In addition, the
D.C. Circuit cleared the way for Chabad to pursue its claims against the
Russian Federation to recover a library of sacred, irreplaceable religious
books which were seized by the Soviets during the Bolshevik Revolution and
then retaken by the newly formed Russian Federation in 1992 after the collapse
of the Soviet Union.
"This is a landmark ruling," said Marshall Grossman, a partner in Bingham
McCutchen's Santa Monica office, who represents Chabad with Bingham partners
Seth Gerber in Santa Monica and David Salmons in Washington, D.C. "We hope and
pray that the Russian government will respect it."
In addition to the Bingham team, Chabad is represented by Washington
attorneys Nathan Lewin and Alyza D. Lewin of Lewin & Lewin, LLP, and Wm.
Bradford Reynolds of Howrey, LLP.
"The Court of Appeals' decision clears the way for the Russian government
to correct a historic wrong that its predecessors have committed against the
Jewish community. We can only hope that the current Russian authorities will
now fulfill the assurances that were made to Chabad representatives and to
United States officials after the Soviet state was replaced with the Russian
Federation. It should not be necessary to engage in extended litigation for
the Chabad community, headquartered today in the United States, to recover
what rightfully belongs to it," added Nathan Lewin.
"This is a historic victory for the Rebbe and for all people of faith and
freedom. These sacred books and manuscripts contain the souls of our Rebbes,
and of their countless followers who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazi
and Soviet regimes. We hope and pray the Russian government of today will now
fulfill its moral and legal obligations to return these sacred texts, " said
Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Eliyohu Cunin of Agudas Chasidei Chabad.
Chabad is headquartered in Brooklyn, N.Y., with more than 3,000
international branches; it is the largest Jewish organization in the world
today. On November 9, 2004, Chabad filed its lawsuit against the Russian
Federation, the Russian Ministry of Culture and Mass Communication, the
Russian State Library, and the Russian State Military Archive, asserting
violations of international law and seeking the return of its collection of
sacred, irreplaceable religious books and manuscripts.
Bingham McCutchen LLP -- www.bingham.com -- is a national law firm with
global capabilities, with nearly 1,000 attorneys in 13 offices. The firm
represents clients in cross-border restructurings and insolvencies, high-
stakes litigation, complex financing and regulatory matters, government
affairs, and a wide variety of sophisticated corporate and technology
transactions.
Based in Washington, D.C., Lewin & Lewin LLP specializes in Supreme Court
and federal appellate litigation and is available for consultation by lawyers
and clients in complex criminal and civil matters in federal courts. Lewin &
Lewin also represents clients and assists attorneys in relations with federal
legislative, executive and administrative agencies.
Founded in 1956, Howrey LLP is a global law firm with over 700 attorneys
and more than 50 economic, financial, and regulatory consultants. Howrey has
offices in Washington, D.C.; Northern Virginia; Houston, Texas; New York, New
York; Los Angeles, Irvine, East Palo Alto and San Francisco, California; Salt
Lake City, Utah; Chicago, Illinois; London, England; Brussels, Belgium; Paris,
France; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Munich, Germany; Madrid, Spain and Taipei,
Taiwan.
SOURCE Bingham McCutchen LLP
WASHINGTON, June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- In a landmark ruling today, the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that Agudas
Chasidei Chabad of United States (Chabad) may pursue its claims in a U.S.
federal court against the Russian Federation, the Russian Ministry of Culture
and Mass Communication, the Russian State Library, and the Russian State
Military Archive to recover a collection of sacred religious books and
archives.
The D.C. Circuit held that a U.S. federal court has jurisdiction over
Chabad's claims to recover an archive of sacred books and manuscripts which
were stolen by the Nazis during World War II and then taken by the Soviet Red
Army to Moscow in 1945 in violation of international law. In addition, the
D.C. Circuit cleared the way for Chabad to pursue its claims against the
Russian Federation to recover a library of sacred, irreplaceable religious
books which were seized by the Soviets during the Bolshevik Revolution and
then retaken by the newly formed Russian Federation in 1992 after the collapse
of the Soviet Union.
"This is a landmark ruling," said Marshall Grossman, a partner in Bingham
McCutchen's Santa Monica office, who represents Chabad with Bingham partners
Seth Gerber in Santa Monica and David Salmons in Washington, D.C. "We hope and
pray that the Russian government will respect it."
In addition to the Bingham team, Chabad is represented by Washington
attorneys Nathan Lewin and Alyza D. Lewin of Lewin & Lewin, LLP, and Wm.
Bradford Reynolds of Howrey, LLP.
"The Court of Appeals' decision clears the way for the Russian government
to correct a historic wrong that its predecessors have committed against the
Jewish community. We can only hope that the current Russian authorities will
now fulfill the assurances that were made to Chabad representatives and to
United States officials after the Soviet state was replaced with the Russian
Federation. It should not be necessary to engage in extended litigation for
the Chabad community, headquartered today in the United States, to recover
what rightfully belongs to it," added Nathan Lewin.
"This is a historic victory for the Rebbe and for all people of faith and
freedom. These sacred books and manuscripts contain the souls of our Rebbes,
and of their countless followers who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazi
and Soviet regimes. We hope and pray the Russian government of today will now
fulfill its moral and legal obligations to return these sacred texts, " said
Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Eliyohu Cunin of Agudas Chasidei Chabad.
Chabad is headquartered in Brooklyn, N.Y., with more than 3,000
international branches; it is the largest Jewish organization in the world
today. On November 9, 2004, Chabad filed its lawsuit against the Russian
Federation, the Russian Ministry of Culture and Mass Communication, the
Russian State Library, and the Russian State Military Archive, asserting
violations of international law and seeking the return of its collection of
sacred, irreplaceable religious books and manuscripts.
Bingham McCutchen LLP -- www.bingham.com -- is a national law firm with
global capabilities, with nearly 1,000 attorneys in 13 offices. The firm
represents clients in cross-border restructurings and insolvencies, high-
stakes litigation, complex financing and regulatory matters, government
affairs, and a wide variety of sophisticated corporate and technology
transactions.
Based in Washington, D.C., Lewin & Lewin LLP specializes in Supreme Court
and federal appellate litigation and is available for consultation by lawyers
and clients in complex criminal and civil matters in federal courts. Lewin &
Lewin also represents clients and assists attorneys in relations with federal
legislative, executive and administrative agencies.
Founded in 1956, Howrey LLP is a global law firm with over 700 attorneys
and more than 50 economic, financial, and regulatory consultants. Howrey has
offices in Washington, D.C.; Northern Virginia; Houston, Texas; New York, New
York; Los Angeles, Irvine, East Palo Alto and San Francisco, California; Salt
Lake City, Utah; Chicago, Illinois; London, England; Brussels, Belgium; Paris,
France; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Munich, Germany; Madrid, Spain and Taipei,
Taiwan.
SOURCE Bingham McCutchen LLP
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