In America, no one should need a governmental permit to pray. The Creator has already given us that right, and the First Amendment protects it. I learned this lesson through a fight I never expected — a fight that has resulted in an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.I am an Orthodox Jew. My faith requires me to pray three times a day with a minyan, a quorum of 10 Jewish men. Orthodox Jews don’t drive on the Sabbath or on holidays such as Yom Kippur and Passover. Jewish law also limits ordinary travel on those days, so prayer must be close to where you live.So, I did what Americans of faith have done since the founding of this country: I sent a simple e-mail to a few of my friends inviting them to pray at my residence.
A JEWISH MAN IN OHIO TRIED TO PRAY AT HOME. HIS MAYOR SAID NO
Before the prayer group had even met one time, the city of University Heights, Ohio, sent me a cease-and-desist order. It told me I could not proceed to gather without pursuing a commercial special-use permit, a zoning process meant for institutional buildings, not a few people gathering in a private home to worship God. The city also threatened me with criminal prosecution if I failed to adhere to their order.
