A Jewish rabbi, with the help of First Liberty Institute (FLI), is suing a county in Hawaii after officials fined the rabbi for holding sabbath day celebrations in his home, the Daily Caller reports.
Rabbi Levi Gerlitzky operates the Chabad Jewish Center on Hawaii’s Big Island and on occasion, held Sabbath services in his home that at times reached 30 people.
In February 2023, Hawaii County officials informed Rabbi Gerlitzky that he was not allowed to hold a religious service in his home without the permission of the county government.
Gerlitzky applied for the necessary permit but was denied because bureaucrats needed more information.
County officials ordered Gerlitzky to stop all religious meetings in his home and fined him $1,000, and additional fines if he did not pay by an April 2023 deadline. At this point, the fine totals now exceed $40,000.
In launching the lawsuit, FLI attorneys stated that the County’s zoning bylaws are unconstitutional because they allow people to gather for secular reasons without a permit, but not for religious ones.
“By levying fines on religious gatherings while allowing similar secular in-home gatherings like Super Bowl parties and book clubs to continue without penalty, the County violates both the U.S. Constitution and federal law,” FLI stated in its news release.
“Americans of all faiths meet in homes for prayer meetings everyday. It is chilling that Hawaii County officials have resorted to serving fines to this small group of Jewish residents for doing just that,” added FLI spokesperson R.J. Christensen.
OpentheWord.org 
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