In a small town in NJ, a group of people have, for several years, gathered together to light a large menorah a few feet away from the creche set up on town grounds.
This year, they are being blocked from doing so.
Not by outraged Christians.
Not even by the ACLU doing their usual December thing about preventing religious events from occurring on government property (something I 90% agree with, btw).
No, this is being blocked by the mayor...who is Jewish.
Her logic? It's not appropriate behavior, but rather an attempt to expand a small, family-oriented holiday into Christmas-substitute. She doesn't approve.
I am...torn on this. On the one hand -- I totally agree with her logic. Chanukkah is a minor but pleasant holiday that has been put on a forced diet of steroids to compete with Christmas, and I hate that. Chanukkah is about surviving those who would have forced assimilation on the Jewish population -- how is making that more like Christmas a good thing?
On the other hand, if a group of Jews wish to gather and light the menorah together, as equally sanctioned/supported by the government as, oh, the displaying of a creche or singing of carols, then how can the Mayor -- not a religious leader -- say that a community must only gather in private homes, behind closed doors?
It's an interesting dilemma.
Meanwhile, thanks to M. I have boughs of greenery stonking up the apartment with the lovely smell of pine (I mentioned loving the smell of her tree, and we agreed that it was a pagan tradition and therefore could be adapted to any household), my menorah is out of the china cabinet and candled-up, and the makings of latkes and other traditional foods have been assembled for dinner on Saturday. Plus, I got my solstice candle today, so I'm all set. Am lacking only the appropriate bottle of wine for New Year's Eve, but I suspect that will be picked up closer to the date and the place...
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