Posted on 06/15/2026 10:21:00 AM PDT by algore
An Orthodox Jewish man in Ohio is taking his legal dispute with his hometown to the Supreme Court after he was told he couldn't host a prayer gathering at his house.
Daniel Grand invited a dozen of his friends by email to come to his home in University Heights in January 2021.
A neighbor saw the email and informed then-Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan about it, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, a law firm.
Grand claimed the following day he was hit with a cease-and-desist order by the city's law director.
He said the city accused him of operating an illegal 'place of religious assembly' and claimed he was threatened with legal penalties.
According to Fox News, Brennan told Grand that city officials informed him he would need to obtain a permit.
However, after reviewing the permit requirements, his home would then be considered a nonresidential property, meaning he could no longer live there.
Grand told Fox that he felt the city was trying to trick him: 'Basically, the city knew what they were doing.'
'They tricked me. I felt like they lied to me, actually. And I simply tried to comply.'
Grand's counsel petitioned the US Supreme Court, and it is expected to decide in June whether the case will be heard.
His team is seeking a ruling on whether local governments can threaten people for practicing their faith, force homeowners to seek approval for private prayer gatherings, and then avoid being held accountable by changing their position once they're sued, according to the outlet.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...
Meanwhile Target sets up Muslim prayer rooms in their clothing trial rooms and blocks everyone from using them while in use.
Now threaten Muslims….I’ll wait.
Regardless of your stand on the government of Israel, FReepers should be grateful that Orthodox Jews were among the few to truly stand up to the Covid crazies in an extremely hostile environment. They were the ones who unlocked park gates, practiced their religion in groups when called for, and called out idiocy.
Or an Islamic “prayer” group
According to AI:
“University Heights, Ohio, is a solidly Democratic stronghold located in Cuyahoga County. Part of the 18th House District, it is widely characterized by regional residents as a highly liberal and progressive community.”
In other words, they are communist atheists.
If you have a few friends over for a game of poker, I wonder if the mayor would force you to register as a casino.
Yes and if you toss a football around a football team.
Freedom of religion.
Freedom to assemble.
Freedom of speech.
Yea this is a slam dunk at the Supreme Court
Can streets be shutdown because of Islam prayer meet-ups?
This kind of prohibition is not always exclusive to any particular religion. I have known of several Christian homeowners who would invite people to their home on Sunday for a worship service.
When it’s just a few guests, that’s okay, but when you get several guests, who jam up the streets with their parking, and chose to stay parked for several hours during the Sunday Service, that’s a problem.
Then we have the noise levels to be concerned with.
If they keep the volume low, it can work for the neighborhood. If it’s too noisy for too long, it simply won’t work, regardless of which faith it is.
Bet this wouldn’t happen if the group sat and bowed down on prayer rugs and chanted “allahu akbar”.
I think I’ve heard of Black people having ‘churches’ in private homes. They create their own group and hold services. I wonder if they would be considered ‘illegal’.
Well, this was during Covid. People throughout the world were being denied the right to assemble.
“He said the city accused him of operating an illegal ‘place of religious assembly’ and claimed he was threatened with legal penalties”
I have no doubt the city is going against its own ordinances and definitions found within. Assembly occupancy has a very clear definition in codes (usually originating in the NFPA’s Life Safety Code, and adopted building codes. It is not inviting people in your home for a prayer meeting. At most the city may have legitimate concerns if parking and traffic becomes a nuisance to the neighborhood. But that can’t be presumed since he is not running a home based business.
Someone wants that man’s property and is using pals in city government to try and force him out.
Nope - they can shut down streets - look at what they’re doing in France and the UK. Schools here in the US have mussie prayer rooms but none for Christians. The government has defeated us.
As long as the meeting is respectful to others then it's only a fuss if some woketard is looking for reasons to start something.
Actually it’s mostly Jewish in the Heights.
Reap whatcha sow.
“If you have a few friends over for a game of poker, I wonder if the mayor would force you to register as a casino.”
You’re certainly asking the right question. But let’s take it a little more in depth. If you have family over for a meal at any holiday, can you say grace as is done in millions of households all over the world? So, Christmas has to be cancelled, Easter, Martin Luther King day, and since it is expected to say a prayer prior to congressional meetings, does that mean congress can’t meet or the federal government loses it’s control of the United States Capital Building??
Do we close colleges, churches...? Slippery slope, huh? Laws have to be consistent or they aren’t a law, they’re an agenda.
wy69
When done correctly, with consideration, planning and limits respected, attending service in or around someone’s home can be a cozy, very nice experience.
All factors have to be properly considered and managed to really make it work if the even is going to be done every few weeks or so. Even the number of people invited over for a particular service must be thought about and made crystal clear to your ‘flock’. Also: Avoid the ‘dangers’ of Kareoke Hour, where untrained voices try to ‘sing’ while holding a live Mike. Save that stuff for Birthday Parties and Baby Showers. Be kind to your neighbors.
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