Yonat Shimron
Yonat Shimron is an RNS National Reporter and Senior Editor.
All Stories by Yonat Shimron
In battleground states, American Jews prefer Biden over Trump by a wide margin
By Yonat Shimron — October 21, 2020
(RNS) — A pair of surveys of likely Jewish voters in Florida and Pennsylvania shows that former Vice President Joe Biden has a massive lead over Donald Trump.
Michael Hebb, a death wellness expert, wants people to plan for their end
By Yonat Shimron — October 21, 2020
(RNS) — ‘With the coronavirus there’s been an incredible wake-up call to our mortality,’ said Hebb, who has created resources to help people learn how to plan for it and support loved ones who may be nearing the end of life.
James MacDonald and Harvest Bible Chapel reach multimillion-dollar agreement
By Yonat Shimron — October 20, 2020
(RNS) — MacDonald, who was fired last year, will get $1.2 million and a vacant parcel of property adjacent to the church’s Crystal Lake Campus. He will also be allowed to run his Walk in the Word ministry independently.
Poll: White evangelicals are religious outliers on every issue of concern to voters
By Yonat Shimron — October 19, 2020
(RNS) — Only 35% of white evangelicals said the coronavirus is of critical concern, according to PRRI’s 11th annual American Values Survey. Among this group, abortion and terrorism top the list of concerns.
Catholic worker who broke into naval base to protest nuclear weapons sentenced
By Yonat Shimron — October 16, 2020
(RNS) — Patrick O'Neill is the third of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 to be sentenced by a US District Court judge for trespassing at the Kings Bay Naval Base two years ago in a symbolic act of nuclear disarmament.
Catholic priest is sentenced to time served after 2018 break-in at nuclear naval base
By Yonat Shimron — October 15, 2020
(RNS) — A U.S. District Court judge sentenced the Rev. Stephen Kelly to 33 months in jail and three years’ probation, plus restitution fees for trespassing onto the Kings Bay Naval Base in Georgia.
Samaritan’s Purse to set up coronavirus field hospital in the Bahamas
By Yonat Shimron — October 15, 2020
(RNS) — The humanitarian relief organization run by Franklin Graham will open a field hospital in Nassau, where hospital facilities are overwhelmed with people suffering from COVID-19.
400 rabbis back Cuomo and de Blasio in shutdown of New York Hasidic neighborhoods
By Yonat Shimron — October 8, 2020
(RNS) — Some 400 rabbis and other Jewish religious leaders have signed a statement in support of New York officials’ efforts to curb COVID-19 in hard-hit Jewish neighborhoods of New York City.
LifeWay inks out-of-court agreement with former CEO Thom Rainer
By Yonat Shimron — October 6, 2020
(RNS) — The agreement would require Rainer to keep the terms of his noncompete contract, which he had signed after leaving his position in 2018.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo shuts down New York City yeshivas in virus hot spots
By Yonat Shimron — October 6, 2020
(RNS) — Both the mayor and governor are frustrated at ongoing displays of Hasidic Jews flouting mandates to socially distance and wear masks.
New book links the decline of religious authority to the end of empathy
By Yonat Shimron — October 6, 2020
(RNS) — John Compton’s ‘The End of Empathy’ shows how the collapse of religious authority in the 1960s led Christians to evangelical megachurches that resist any efforts at social reform.
LifeWay lawsuit against former CEO Thom Rainer remains on file
By Yonat Shimron — October 2, 2020
(RNS) — The back and forth from the LifeWay board of trustees has many Southern Baptists feeling whiplash. The haggling may, however, be a byproduct of the Christian publisher’s steep financial challenges.
Southern Baptist publisher LifeWay halts suit against former CEO Thom Rainer
By Yonat Shimron — October 1, 2020
(RNS) — Todd Fannin, LifeWay's board chairman, issued an update saying that ‘both parties are currently exploring the possibility of an agreed upon resolution of the differences.’
Poll: Muslim American support for Trump rises, but most plan to vote for Biden
By Yonat Shimron — October 1, 2020
(RNS) — Muslims appeared to be the religious group least likely to support Trump in 2020, according to a new poll that also shows voter registration among Muslims lagging other religious groups.
Southern Baptist publishing arm, LifeWay, sues former president Thom Rainer
By Yonat Shimron — September 29, 2020
(RNS) — LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, has sued its former president and CEO, alleging he violated a noncompete clause in his contract that forbids him from working with competitors.
