opinions & letters
Menorahs on Public Property
Can Lead to Trouble
S Judit Zengovari/Minty / AdobeStock
Paul L. Newman
ome Jews were beaming
with pride that there were
large displays of Chanukah
menorahs on public property in
prominent locations in cities across
America and around the world.

Sometimes, non-Jewish politi-
cal leaders were given the honor
of lighting these large religious
displays. I, for one, am not happy, but
before anyone burns a Jewish star
on my lawn or calls me a Jewish
Grinch, allow me to explain.

I’m not opposed to Chabad
leading a menorah parade through Center City, as
it’s akin to parades organized by other groups, both
religious and secular. Nor am I against Chabad, the
group that’s universally behind these PDJ (public
displays of Judaism), but I am against placing a
menorah on public property.

In the past, Chabad has been involved in multiple
lawsuits in several cities as to whether it can erect
a menorah on public property. The Supreme Court
ruled that a menorah, like a Christmas tree, is not a
religious symbol, and therefore can be erected on
public property.

One doesn’t have to be a rabbi or a constitutional
law expert to know that a menorah is not a secular
object. One can celebrate Christmas without a
Christmas tree, however, it’s nearly impossible to
celebrate Chanukah without a menorah of some kind
to hold the candles/oil.

Furthermore, the menorah reminds Jews of the
miracle that occurred after the Maccabees captured
the Second Temple. A mere day’s worth of pure oil,
used to light the Second Temple’s menorah, miracu-
lously lasted eight days.

The menorah was so representative of Judaism
that an image of one, stolen by Jerusalem’s Roman
conquerors, was carved into Rome’s Arch of Titus.

It’s challenging to fi nd a synagogue that doesn’t
employ a menorah image carved into its building,
depict one in its stained glass or possess a large
replica inside its sanctuary. After Israel was founded,
a menorah was selected as the emblem of Israel.

Some may wonder why I, a proud Jew, would
seemingly be against the prominent public display of
this Jewish religious symbol.

I grew up in Cincinnati with a Jewish
population that’s less than
10% of Philadelphia’s. Thirty
years ago, Chabad insisted on
placing a large menorah on the
main square of Cincinnati. Soon
thereafter, the local Ku Klux
demanded the right to erect
its cross on Fountain Square.

Despite objections from a
host of Cincinnati community
leaders, including the Rev. Fred
Shuttlesworth, federal courts
permitted the Klan cross to be
erected on Fountain Square.

Luckily, “good vandals”
destroyed it every time it was
erected and re-erected. In
1995, the KKK won a Supreme Court case allowing
it to erect its symbol of hate on the lawn of Ohio’s
state capital after Chabad was permitted to erect a
menorah there.

Moreover, it’s religiously incongruent that America’s
non-Jewish presidents and mayors, like Jim Kenney,
have been honored with lighting a Chanukah menorah.

I understand their being invited to attend a ceremony
and respectfully watching the event, but there’s
something fundamentally not kosher with non-Jewish
offi ceholders leading a Jewish ritual.

Chabad has done much good. The 1972 Jewish
Catalog listed fewer than 100 Chabad centers in
America and a mere handful worldwide. Today, there
are more than 3,500 Chabad centers across America
and around the world. Chabad has provided welcom-
ing places for unaffi liated Jews to reconnect with
their Judaism.

Chabad locations also serve as safe havens for
Jews traveling to the most remote parts of the world.

A friend’s daughter is alive today because a Chabad
rabbi rescued her from a fi lthy third-world Laotian
hospital and brought her to Bangkok for proper
treatment. She wouldn’t be alive today without that
Chabad rabbi.

The explosive growth of antisemitism and the
ability of the KKK or another hate group to be legally
protected in erecting symbols of hate on public
property cement my feeling that the Supreme Court
erred in its multiple decisions on menorahs. ■
Paul L. Newman of Merion Station is an amateur
historian of African American history working on a
miniseries docudrama on the African American civil
rights movement of the fi rst half of the 20th century.

letters Dignity, Trump Like Oil and Water
It was written in “Trump for Sale” (Dec. 22) that
someone “expected a level of dignity and restraint
in how the man seeking he highest offi ce in the land
conducts himself.” Sorry, but dignity and restraint are
characteristics unknown to Donald Trump.

It was also suggested that “Trump literally promot-
ing himself as a cartoon character just to line his
own pockets — seems to go too far.” Really? Trump
already went too far many decades ago, as he lied,
cheated and deceived his way to the funds of other
people — those who made the mistake of trust-
ing him — and others who, either purposefully or
unknowingly, “went along for the ride” on the Trump
train. His despicable, soon-to-be-clearly-demon-
strated illegal behavior has been out there for all to
see for his entire life.

Surely, we can’t be noticing just now that he is
nothing more than a common criminal, a loser and
a weak and fundamentally dishonest lowlife (his
words, not mine). Indeed, there is nothing wrong
with anyone “trying to make money,” but surely not
deceitfully, on the backs of others.

Frank Friedman, Delanco, New Jersey
Why Publish Editorial?
Is there some good reason you published this “Trump
for Sale” editorial (Dec. 22)? Does it have to do with
any Jewish cause?
I found it to be a most disrespectful and incon-
sequential piece of writing, no matter where your
politics lie. I would not be surprised to be reading it
in the National Enquirer in line at the supermarket.

Do you think you could fi nd something less partisan
to comment on? As much as Trump’s popularity has
dropped, it seems as though the people that dislike
him cannot get enough of him!
I thought the Exponent under new management
was changing. This was an extremely substandard
piece of writing, and I hope you did not get any false
satisfaction from writing it. ■
Ellyn Katz-Levy, Bryn Mawr
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