24 October 2006
A northern California synagogue claims its religious rights are being violated as neighbors seek to block its expansion plans, the "Jewish Telegraphic Agency" reports. Kol Shofar, an 1,800-member congregation in Tiburon, north of San Francisco, wants to add two wings to its existing structure to allow for wedding and bar mitzvah celebrations. Hundreds of neighbors have signed petitions objecting to the expansion, and the town planning commission has denied a permit. The synagogue has turned to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a national foundation that fights for religious freedom. Rabbi Lavey Derby told the "San Francisco Chronicle" that he did not believe anti-Semitism was a reason for reactions, but that not allowing the synagogue to expand would restrict the congregation members' right to exercise their religion. The Tiburon Town Council will make its decision in mid-November.