At historic L.A. synagogue, songwriter pushes interfaith harmony and urban renewal
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On the first floor of the Pico Union Project, members of the Women’s Mosque of America are preparing the historic sanctuary for prayers, spreading long bolts of cloth on the floor, hanging a banner from the organ loft and placing an open copy of the Koran in the just-vacated Holy Ark. Outside, news crews — including one from an Italian television station — have gathered to document this gathering of the mosque, reportedly the first women’s mosque in America and already the subject of international headlines. Across the street, police officers monitor the situation, just in case. On the second floor, with the Torah just taken from the ark leaned against a wall nearby, Craig Taubman ruefully considers the flurry of activity.

“It’s just people praying,” he says with exasperation. “Why is this such a big deal?” [Read the entire article on the JTA Website.]