religion

Pastor On His Church Being Target During Pro-Trump Rally In D.C.

6:17pm December 14, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with the Rev. William Lamar IV of Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, D.C., about the church's legacy of affirming Black lives following a weekend of vandalism.

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Father Julio Martinez raises the Blessed Sacrament from the back of a pickup truck in Ramseur, N.C.

Holiday On Wheels: Latino Church Gets Creative Honoring Patron Saint Despite Pandemic

4:59pm December 13, 2020

by Emma Peaslee

The Rev. Julio Martinez put a portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the back of a pickup truck and celebrated the festival in the front yards of church members.

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The Cantors of Wisconsin perform over a video call. On Sunday, for the first time ever, about a dozen Wisconsin cantors will virtually broadcast a mix of Hanukkah tunes, both traditional and reimagined.

Jewish Cantors Celebrate Hanukkah With Virtual Concerts

8:01am December 13, 2020

by Maayan Silver

Jewish cantors in Wisconsin are celebrating Hanukkah in a new way during the pandemic: They will gather virtually and broadcast a concert of holiday music for audiences across the country.

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'Jewish Telegraphic Agency' Commemorates Members Of The Community Lost To COVID-19

8:01am December 13, 2020

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is attempting to personalize the pandemic by commemorating community members who have died. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Editor-in-Chief Philissa Cramer.

Religion

Celebrating Hanukkah During The COVID-19 Pandemic

7:59am December 12, 2020

Hanukkah celebrations are different this year. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Rabbi Ari Saks of Huntington Jewish Center about which parts of the Hanukkah story have special meaning during the pandemic.

Critics Say New Trump Rule Gives Contractors More Freedom On Religious Discrimination

3:42pm December 11, 2020

by Tom Gjelten

The Trump administration has issued a new rule this week that allows federal contractors that claim a religious mission to exclude any job applicant who does not share their beliefs.

Recent Supreme Court Rulings Encourage Some To Continue In-Person Worshiping

3:42pm December 11, 2020

by Stephanie O'Neill

Encouraged by recent Supreme Court rulings, churches in many states are trying to challenge restrictions on worship gatherings, arguing that prayer during the pandemic is essential.

Demonstrators wait with green headscarves — the symbol of abortion rights activists — outside the Argentine Congress in Buenos Aires, where lawmakers endorsed a bill to legalize abortion

In Historic Vote, Argentina Chamber OKs Bill Legalizing Abortion

12:27pm December 11, 2020

by Bill Chappell

"The world is unjust, but the answer is not in our uterus," lawmaker Gabriela Cerruti said of the vote in Argentina's Chamber of Deputies.

A swastika sticker on a statue at the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise. The vandalism took place sometime between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, Boise police said.

Idaho Anne Frank Memorial Defaced With Nazi Propaganda

7:39pm December 10, 2020

by Dustin Jones

Nine stickers with swastikas were placed on the memorial in downtown Boise sometime between Monday evening and Tuesday morning. One of the stickers read, "We are everywhere."

From The Ninth Night of Hanukkah, by Erica S. Perl and Shahar Kober

In New Picture Book, Family Adds A 'Ninth Night Of Hanukkah'

6:59pm December 10, 2020

In Erica Perl's new children's book, a family's box of Hanukkah items are misplaced during a move. Their neighbors help them to make their holiday a success — so they add a ninth night to thank them.

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