World Briefs: German synagogue reports shattered window during Yom Kippur services and more

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German synagogue reports shattered window during Yom Kippur services
A broken window interrupted the final moments of Yom Kippur services in Hanover, Germany, unsettling a Jewish community on edge because of prior attacks during the holiday, reported JTA.org.

The rabbi of the Jewish community of Hanover, Germany, posted pictures of a broken window he said followed an attack during Yom Kippur services in 2022. (Instagram via JTA.org)

It was unclear late on Oct. 5 exactly what had happened at the Orthodox synagogue in the northern German city, said officials there. Police are investigating and had learned that there are no video cameras in the vicinity, according to local media reports. No one was injured in the incident.

The chair of the synagogue said he believed that someone had entered the synagogue grounds and thrown an object through the window. The synagogue’s rabbi said he believed that the broken window represented an assault on his community.

“I don’t want to play down what happened, but such criminal acts were often our historical companions,” said Rabbi Shlomo Afanasev on Twitter, where he posted videos of the broken window. “We will not be intimidated and will continue to build our communities, our families and Judaism in Germany.”

Orthodox Jewish groups join evangelical Christian mailman’s Supreme Court case
Multiple Orthodox Jewish groups are filing friend of the court (amicus) briefs on behalf of an evangelical Christian postal worker who is taking his case to get Sundays off to the Supreme Court, reported JTA.org.

The case, “Groff v. DeJoy,” seeks to expand the standard the Supreme Court set in a 1977 ruling regarding what constituted “undue hardship” to an employer in providing religious accommodation.

“Groff v. DeJoy” involves a Pennsylvania mailman who sought accommodations after the U.S. Postal Service started Sunday deliveries on behalf of Amazon in 2013. At first, Gerald Groff was able to work around such deliveries, but as demand for the service grew, USPS disciplined him for declining Sunday shifts. So he quit and then sued. (Louis DeJoy is the postmaster general.)

Lower courts have ruled in favor of the post office.

Now, Orthodox groups are supporting Groff. They see the case as a chance to overturn the 1977 decision “Trans World Airlines v. Hardison” that ruled for the airline over a member of a Christian sect who sought Saturdays off.

Jewish gun club sues New York governor to allow concealed weapons in synagogues
A group of Jewish gun owners filed a lawsuit against New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s
gun laws, saying they infringe on their religious freedom and right to bear arms, reported New York Jewish Week.

The New York State Jewish Gun Club in Rockland County funded and put together the lawsuit filed on Sept. 29 in the Southern District of New York. It targets a section of new gun laws that prohibits carrying concealed weapons in “sensitive locations,” such as houses of worship.

“New York State has expressed that legal carry in New York is OK, but not for those who observe religious rituals and customs,” said a NYS-JGC press release. “This law targets religious people by threatening them with arrest and felony prosecution if they carry their firearm while engaging in religious observance.”

In July, Hochul signed into law the Concealed Carry Improvement Act in response to the June Supreme Court decision that struck down New York’s strict concealed carry laws. The new CCI law adds multiple checks on gun ownership in New York State.

Novak Djokovic wins tennis tournament in Tel Aviv
Serbian Novak Djokovic won his third trophy of 2022 and the 89th of his career at the Tel Aviv Watergen Open on Oct. 2, defeating Marin Cilic of Croatia in straight sets, according to JNS.org.

The 35-year-old won 6-3, 6-4 to add the Israeli title to his successes in Rome and Wimbledon. It was his 19th victory over Cilic since 2008.

Due to his unwillingness to get immunized against the coronavirus, Djokovic was barred from the US Open and the entire North American hard court season.

Netanyahu faints during Yom Kippur Services
Opposition leader and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fainted during Yom Kippur prayers, and was treated and released from a Jerusalem hospital, reported The Jerusalem Post.

Shaarei Zedek Medical Center ran multiple tests on Netanyahu and released him the next day after all results came back normal.

— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb

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