Religious Goods

Thieves have stolen the skull of a 14th century Spanish pope from a ruined palace in a remote town in Spain--and are reportedly demanding a ransom. The skull of Benedicto XIII was stolen in April from a boarded-up palace that once belonged to a local count, a Civil Guard officer in Sabinan said.

One of Charlotte Lewin's priorities when she took over the gift shop at Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks in 1990 was to expand the merchandise selection. Her shop was limited to a single display case, some shelves, a couple of bookracks and for special occasions, such as Hanukkah, a portable table. But she was determined to fill the space. "I saw there were more Jewish people moving into the area and there were no gift shops oriented toward a Jewish line of products," Lewin said.

In an effort to end the controversy surrounding an Orthodox Jewish high school basketball team's decision to wear yarmulkes during games, a California Interscholastic Federation official said he will ask for rules clarifications at state and national levels.

Thousands of Christmas lights twinkling brightly from this tiny remote Modoc County town in California's northeast corner can be seen for miles. Truck drivers passing through spread the word over CBs to other truckers to re-route themselves through Canby to see the "unbelievable Christmas displays out here in the boonies."

Gideon Avni feels helpless sometimes, his work in the shadow of the great stone walls of Jerusalem's Old City buffeted by wave after wave of angry rhetoric. All he wants, says Avni, Israel's chief archeologist for Jerusalem, is to uncover this city's extraordinary history, opening up the remnants of its long and troubled past to all who wish to see them. But even dusty relics become flash points in the bitter struggle over an unhappily shared land.

Bosnia's Muslim president brought a priceless medieval Passover book to Jewish religious services in Sarajevo on Saturday, dispelling rumors the artifact had been sold to buy weapons. The book is one of the few cultural treasures to have survived three years of war in a city that enjoyed a prewar reputation for ethnic diversity and tolerance.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday denied the city of Pittsburgh's request to block the display of a menorah outside the City-County Building. The ruling permits an Orthodox Jewish group to keep the oversized menorah, a Jewish candelabrum with nine branches, outside the government building throughout the Hanukkah season.

It's been called the "linen enigma," though detractors label it an "obvious fraud," and some religious scholars weigh in with a slightly more generous "pious forgery." Now, an Orange County gynecologist has imported the mystery, history and nasty disagreement surrounding the Shroud of Turin more than 6,000 miles from where the real thing remains in an Italian cathedral. Dr.

A seven-year controversy over the display of a 27-foot-tall menorah in a Beverly Hills park may culminate in a sweeping ban on the public display of private art in city parks. At a City Council meeting Thursday, council members instructed City Atty. Greg Stepanicich to draft an ordinance that would forbid the overnight display of private art and other exhibits in public parks.

In an effort to end controversy and confusion surrounding the yarmulkes worn by an Orthodox Jewish high school basketball team, Dean Crowley, commissioner of the Southern Section, said he will ask for rules clarifications at state and national levels. Crowley said rules pertaining to religious headwear need to be more fully detailed to prevent a repeat of several recent incidents in which members of the Valley Torah basketball team were harassed by officials for wearing yarmulkes during games.