be modest, a man in the street,” Katz says of the Jewish
thought at the time. “He was like, ‘You’re mixing it all
up; [be a] Jew in the street, be a man at home.’ ”
Th e 1974 menorah lighting in Philadelphia — and a 1975
lighting by Chabad Rabbi Chaim Drizin of the Bill Graham
Menorah at Union Square in San Francisco, a monumen-
tal 25-foot tall structure — followed Schneerson’s 1973
campaign to deliver mass-produced tin menorahs to Jews,
encouraging them to light candles.

Shemtov saw the menorah as a symbol that occupied
a liminal space between public and private, sitting near
the window of a home where it spread warmth inside,
while visible to viewers outside. A public lighting of the
menorah still occupied this similar space, he argued.

Far from just publicity, the public lighting extended the
spiritual message of Chanukah and fulfi lled the mitzvah
of pirsum hanes, the “publicizing” or “proclamation” of
the miracle of the day’s worth of oil that lasted for eight
in the traditional story of Chanukah.

“Th is started the whole activity, the eff ort and activity,
which now is spread through the world; the celebration,
the marking of Chanukah, is shared with the world
outside,” he says.

But not all Jews welcomed the public menorah light-
ings. In the late 1970s, leaders from the Reform move-
ment wrote to the Rebbe, objecting to the public
lighting. “Pushing this symbol in public spaces has far greater
implications for the Jewish community than just
Chanukah,” Gratz College President Zev Eleff said.

Some Jewish leaders were concerned that the public
display of a menorah was a violation of the separation
of church and state. Jews were particularly sensitive to
this issue, he said, because “where the church operates
as government, Jews do not always fare that well.”
Th e debate over the menorah’s role in church-state
separation culminated in the 1989 Supreme Court case
County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union,
in which the court considered the constitutionality of
the presence of a public nativity scene at the Allegheny
Courthouse and an 18-foot tall menorah outside the
City-County Building.

Th e court found that the nativity scene violated the
Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, as it
depicted explicitly religious content, while the menorah,
like a Christmas tree, was a symbol of a holiday that had
come to represent the winter holiday season and had
adopted a more secular meaning in the social milieu.

Th e image of Chabad rabbis lighting a menorah in
front of a crowd has since become iconic, with President
Jimmy Carter, followed by Presidents Ronald Reagan,
George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack
Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, taking part in a
ceremonial lighting beginning in 1979. Embroiled in
managing the early days of the Iranian hostage crisis,
18 DECEMBER 15, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Courtesy of the National Menorah on the Ellipse and the American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad)
feature Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis light the National Menorah in 2021.

Carter made a rare emergence from the White House to
light the menorah’s shamash (or “helper” candle) on the
White House lawn.

‘MORE CRITICAL THAN EVER’
Th ough the practice of public menorah lighting has
grown over the years, Katz suggested that the signif-
icance of the menorah itself as a public symbol has
diminished. Its presence in media, popular culture
and the public eye has eroded some of its original
religious substance, she believes.

While lightings may not hold the same controversy
or social gravity as they did in the 1970s and ’80s,
Chabad leaders of today argue that the presence of
these public events is necessary in the face of both
continued assimilation and growing antisemitism.

“It’s very important not to pull back because of it.

We hold our ground and be bold, not to demonstrate
fear,” said Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan of the Lubavitch
Center in Baltimore.

But as much as rabbis are aware of the importance
of Jewish visibility in the face of antisemitic intimi-
dation, the purpose of public menorah lightings still
harkens back to their original goals.

“It’s more critical in this country than ever before,”
Kaplan emphasized. “Not because there’s coercion —
we don’t have the coercion anymore — but because of
the lack of identifi cation. We have a serious problem
with Jewish identity.”
While visible Jewishness can speak back against
antisemitism, a “robust semitism” is how to truly
combat antisemitism, Levi Shemtov said.

Th e lighting of the menorah, as a symbol for
Chanukah and an age-old tale of Jewish pride in the
face of bigotry and oppression has remained relevant
for Jews for thousands of years and in the public eye
for the past half-century. Th e ritual might just off er
some insight into how the next generation can fi nd
unwavering Jewish identity.

“It may not be a panacea,” Shemtov acknowledged.

“But it’s defi nitely a trigger and a good start for a very
positive [holiday] experience.” JE
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com



camps
Choosing a Camp: Why Start Now?
Faygie Holt | Special to the JE
Imgorthand/E+/GETTY IMAGES
I t may not be the first thing that comes
to mind amid the hustle and bustle
of the late fall and early winter holiday
season, but now may be a good time to
lock in a summer camp program for
your child.

“The holiday season is a great time
to look for a camp. Camp is a gift, and
what better time to give the gift of camp
than during the holidays?” said Rachel
Steinberg, of Fort Washington, who
serves as manager of new family engage-
ment and community at Camp Harlam.

“Camp offers kids so much — the oppor-
tunity to try new things, make lifetime
friends, build independence, confidence
and resilience, all while having lots of
fun!” While there is “no wrong time to look
for a camp,” according to the American
Camp Association, it’s worth reaching
out early to see if your camp offers ear-
ly-bird pricing or holiday specials.

Discount or not, the ACA notes, open
enrollment for many camps starts in
January, so it’s a good idea to have your
preferred camp options narrowed down
before then. “Some camps fill quickly,
so there may be waitlists,” a spokesper-
son explained. “Some camps open their
enrollment even sooner, like the end of
summer, so be mindful of those facts
when looking at camps.”
Last year, following two years of
COVID-19 pandemic precautions, par-
ents eager for their children to have fun
registered them for camps as early as pos-
sible. That meant some longtime camp-
ers were shut out of their summer home
for lack of space.

That’s what happened to the Lisa fam-
ily of Broomall last summer.

“We’ve been going for years to one
camp, and I didn’t usually register my
kids until February or March,” Stephanie
Lisa said. “Then, last year, the camp was
fully booked in December. It didn’t mat-
ter if you were a returning camper. I was
very upset about it, but they couldn’t add
any bunks or more kids.”
Although Lisa ended up finding a
much different camp that year that her
boys loved, she did not want to be put in
the same position again.

To avoid the same problem this year,
she is already trying to find the right
experience for Steven, 10, and Elliott, 8,
for next summer. She’s also weighing the
all-important question: Are they ready
for sleepaway camp?
“I’ve toured four sleepaway camps,
did research on two more and then the
same thing with two day camps,” Lisa
said. “It’s almost like interviewing for a
private school or a college. You need to
make sure the atmosphere, the person-
ality of the people working there and the
program itself offer what your kids need
and like.”
According to Steinberg, “When look-
ing for a camp, you should consider your
goals for your child’s summer experience.

There are hundreds of amazing camp
options to consider, so it’s important to
hone in on the things that are important
to you and them. That could be things
like values, the facility, program offer-
ings, inclusion, etc. There are traditional
camps that offer diverse programmatic
experiences and specialty camps that
offer kids more depth in their experience
around a particular interest area like
sports or arts.”
Parents should find out if the camp
has received accreditation from the
American Camp Association, which
would indicate it has strict operational
measures in place in areas like health,
safety and risk management. Also, camp
officials advise parents to “interview”
the camp director, talk to parents whose
children are already in the program and
make sure you are comfortable with what
you are learning from these discussions.

As to whether a child is ready for a
sleepaway experience, Jamie Simon, who
serves as the senior adviser of camps and
talent at the national JCC Association and
CEO of Camp Tawonga in California,
suggested parents have their kids go on
sleepovers and see if they can put them-
selves to sleep.

If your kids have never slept away from
home and can’t get to sleep without you
being there, that’s probably a sign they
are not ready for sleepaway camp, Simon
said. “But if they go on sleepovers, and
they like sleeping away from home, that’s
a sign they might be ready.”
“Sleepaway camp is the best,” she says.

“It teaches kids to be their best self, to
grow independently, to be part of a com-
munity and explore their identity in ways
that are deep and meaningful and make
friends for life.”
However, camp experts are clear that
there is no one age when kids should
or must go to sleepaway camp, and it’s
important to consider each child individ-
ually when making summer camp plans.

Lisa says she’s narrowed down her
choices — one sleepaway camp and one
day camp depending on which route she
and her husband feel is best – and will
be making a decision shortly. But she
knows it’s not a decision she could have
made lightly.

“Camp is not something to do to keep
kids busy for the summer,” she said. “It’s
a significant investment in helping your
child grow.”
To learn more about summer camps in
general and find a camp for your child, the
American Camp Association maintains a
list of camps on its website, ACAcamps.

org. JE
Faygie Holt is a freelance writer.

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