Congregation to rebuild synagogue burned by Nazis

A gem of Jewish architecture that was lost in the Holocaust could soon rise again half a world away from where it originally stood.

The synagogue was built in 1636 near the banks of the Pilica River in Przedborz, Poland. From the outside, it looked like a simple barn, but inside the massive front doors was a spectacular sight a 40-foot vaulted ceiling carved with biblical scenes, an elaborate pulpit and timbers adorned with jewels.

“It was the most beautiful place, so beautiful I don’t think I paid any attention to the prayers but to the walls and to the ceiling,” said Gina Nirenberg Kimelman, who was 7 years old when she went there with her grandmother.

Now Kimelman, 78, may soon have another chance to sit in that synagogue again, thanks in part to her memories. The Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley, Calif., plans to rebuild the synagogue to scale.

Architects Tomas Frank, above left, and David Finn hold plans for the synagogue. The congregation hopes to break ground next fall and complete construction of the $5.5. million project a year later.

Woman claims library fired her for wearing a cross

A woman who claims she was fired from a public library for refusing to remove a necklace with a cross on it sued the Logan County, Ky., public library last week in federal court, saying her First Amendment rights were violated.

Kimberly Draper’s former supervisor, library director Linda Kompanik, called the charge “untrue.” She said Draper was dismissed for other, unspecified reasons.

According to the suit, a library dress code bans “religious, political or potentially offensive decoration.”

Draper filed suit in U.S. District Court at Bowling Green with aid from Pat Robertson’s American Center for Law and Justice.

Domino’s Pizza founder to build 25-story crucifix

Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan wants to build a massive free-standing crucifix in Ann Arbor Township, Mich. At 25 stories, it would be 51 feet shorter than the torch’s tip on the Statue of Liberty.

The crucifix is part of a package of zoning changes the township planning commission is considering for a Roman Catholic university Monaghan wants to re-establish at the site.

“It’s outrageous!” said Patricia Blom, a Methodist who lives a half-mile away. “This will offend people in this multireligious area.” Karen Mendelson, who is Jewish, said the religious aspect didn’t bother her but “at 25 stories, it’s going to be absurd- looking.”

Other neighbors worried about the possible influx of 1,500 students.

Monaghan, 64, sold most of his stake in Domino’s in 1998 and has focused his energy and much of his fortune on conservative Catholic causes.