Daniel Grand Told Home Shabbat Services Require Permit

Orthodox Jewish organizations have petitioned the United States Supreme Court to intervene in a legal dispute over municipal zoning laws in University Heights, Ohio, after a resident was barred from hosting prayer services in his home.

The case centers on Daniel Grand, a resident of the Cleveland suburb, who began inviting a small group of neighbors to his home for Shabbat prayer services in January 2021. These gatherings constituted a minyan, which is the quorum of ten men required for communal worship under Jewish law.

Following these gatherings, city officials in University Heights issued a cease-and-desist order to Grand. The municipality cited local zoning laws to block the use of the private residence for prayer, informing Grand that he required a permit to continue the services.

Zoning Regulations and Permit Disputes

In 2021, Grand sought to comply with the city’s regulatory framework by applying for a special use permit to designate his home as a place of religious assembly.

Grand later withdrew the application. He stated that he did not wish to operate a house of worship as is defined under the zoning ordinance.

Court records from the case Daniel Grand v. City of University Heights, Ohio, No. 24-3876 indicate that the city’s law director issued the cease-and-desist warning after a neighbor complained to city officials about the group prayer sessions.

Supreme Court Intervention

On April 11, 2026, the National Jewish Advocacy Center, the Orthodox Union, and the National Council of Young Israel filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to hear the case.

The brief argues that the restrictions placed on Grand are part of a broader pattern of municipal land-use regulations being used to limit Orthodox Jewish religious practices.

We see the latest chapter in a long and documented history of municipalities using zoning laws to suppress Orthodox Jewish religious practice.

Rabbi Mark Goldfeder, CEO of NJAC

The National Jewish Advocacy Center further alleged that Michael Dylan Brennan, the former mayor of University Heights, encouraged neighbors to monitor Grand’s home and report any signs of Jewish worship to the authorities.

The legal challenge focuses on whether the city’s zoning ordinances can be applied to private religious gatherings in a home, particularly when those gatherings are necessitated by religious obligations and restrictions on travel during the Sabbath.