Newsworthy Articles

News and Media Update: April 8, 2022

Houses of Worship and Real Estate

Various religious institutions in New York City are remodeling or constructing new buildings. The Jewish Theological Seminary recently unveiled a remodel by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. On the Upper East Side, Redeemer Presbyterian is pursuing an 11-story "ministry center" on East 91st Street.

Across the country, many congregations are constructing affordable housing to serve the needs of their communities. An article in Next City highlighted several faith-based affordable housing projects.

Some denominations are significant landowners in the United States. The Church of the Latter-Day Saints is the fifth largest landowner in the country. An article in the Salt Lake Tribune highlights the breadth of their holdings, which includes agricultural land and commercial real estate in addition to worship- and mission-oriented spaces.

On the Upper West Side, West-Park Presbyterian Church is attempting to appeal its Landmark status in order to pursue a purchase and sale agreement with Alchemy Properties to redevelop the property, including a sanctuary.

After a fire, the Middle Collegiate Church on Manhattan's Lower East Side was in need of worship space. The nearby synagogue, East End Temple, stepped up and offered to share their space until the Church rebuilds.

In Queens, a section of Bowne Street in Flushing was co-named "Ganesh Temple Street" in honor of The Hindu Temple Society of North America Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam, popularly known as the Ganesh Temple, which has been a community pillar in the neighborhood since 1977.

Houses of Faith and Mission Work

Many faith communities are marking important holidays throughout the month of April.

Across the world, Muslims are fasting for the month of Ramadan. In The New York Times, reporter Victoria Petersen highlighted the practices of Muslims in Anchorage, Alaska, as they fast and work to construct a mosque that includes many diverse Islamic traditions. For many Afghan refugees, this marks the first Ramadan in the United States. (The UCC, which works on refugee resettlement, is hosting webinars throughout Ramadan to provide opportunities for Christians to learn more about the traditions of their Islamic neighbors.)


A 2016 Iftar Celebration in Dearborn, Michigan. Photo: US State Department.


Jewish congregations are preparing for Passover. The New York Times highlighted African-American and Jewish culinary traditions, including a range of recipes. Many Jewish communities have also worked to incorporate ways to remember the current violence in Ukraine at their Seders.

Christian congregations are coming to the end of Lent and will celebrate Easter in the coming weeks. In Wheeling, West Virginia, journalists profiled the Coleman's Fish Market, which sees a marked bump in sales during Lent as worshipers mark Fridays with a fish fry. In Illinois, the First United Church of Oak Park announced that they would not perform hymns or music by white composers throughout Lent, and uplift works by Black and Indigenous composers and composers of color. This announcement was met with controversy in the national media, but the congregation and leadership have stood by their work. Relatedly, NBC News published a piece about congregations who played an active role in segregation and slavery in the United States wanting to make amends for building and upholding oppressive racist systems.


Affordable Housing and Urban Issues

Homelessness continues to rise in the United States. In many cities, homeless encampments have been growing larger: one site in Phoenix, Arizona, now has over 1,000 people. Many municipalities have responded to this crisis by criminalizing homelessness and razing encampments, as the Adams administration recently did in New York City. In Los Angeles, city officials are attempting to discourage homeless individuals from spending extended periods of time on the subway in an effort to boost ridership. Of course, the vast majority of cities in the United States lack deeply affordable and supportive housing options.

Additionally, as the funds from November's infrastructure bill are disbursed, over the past decade, many wealthier cities hired lobbyists to advocate for their municipalities, which has successfully driven more federal and state funds to their projects. While this is good news for well-resourced cities, it does not bode well for poorer cities that may not be able to afford lobbyists, especially given that inequality between metro regions is deepening in addition to individual income and wealth inequality.


Source: Washington Post

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