Court rules home worship OK
County barred rabbi from holding services at his house
Posted: January 24, 20061:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

A federal court ruled a Florida county cannot prohibit a rabbi from holding prayer and worship services in his own home.

Rabbi Joseph Konikov of Orlando was faced with two land-use ordinance violations filed by Orange County.

"Americans have the right to meet in their homes for prayer or to study religious materials without government interference," said Rick Nelson, head of the American Liberties Institute, a group allied with the Alliance Defense Fund.

In 2001, Konikov and his family were ordered by code enforcement officers to stop holding prayer meetings in their home, near Disney World, alleging he was in violation of local laws that forbade "operating a synagogue or any function related to a synagogue and/or church services. ..." The rest