Michael’s talk will focus on the Sander case, where he represented Westchester Reform Temple (“WRT”). In Sander, WRT fired a religious school teacher who co-authored an anti-Zionist blog post. The teacher sued the synagogue, asserting that her blogging was a protected activity under New York’s Recreational Activities Law. New York’s Court of Appeals took the case but chose not to rule on the Recreational Activities argument. Instead, it held that WRT had a First Amendment right to terminate Sander because she performed religious functions. This talk examines the Sander case, as well as broader questions surrounding the Recreational Activities Law and the First Amendment’s application to religious employers.