FāVS News News and Commentary about Religion and Ethics in Eastern Washington and North Idaho
By Tracy Simmons
Today Temple Beth Shalom announced in a press release that in response to the recent desecration which took place at synagogue on Yom Kippur, the congregation would like to invite the faith communities of Spokane to a special Shabbat service of Welcome and Solidarity.
“In the Jewish faith, this is the time of year when we take special care to open ourselves to family, friends, and community. What better time to stand in solidarity together—people of all faiths and none—as we reject hatred and intolerance and instead champion respect for diversity,” the press release reads.
The service will take place Friday at 6 p.m.
Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of SpokaneFāVS.com, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.
[…] did not belong. Muslims have been beaten and harassed. One year ago, the synagogue here in Spokane was defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti. Weeks ago, there were fears and threats surrounding our local Muslim […]