For the second time in as many years, Fort Collins, Colo., officials refused to allow a menorah display on public property during Chanukah.
The city allowed a menorah-lighting ceremony, but refused a request asking that the menorah be displayed during the eight days of Chanukah, The New York Times said Sunday. Council members said they were concerned a menorah display would open the door for other religious organizations to request that their displays be included.
The matter began in 2005 — and was revisited this year — when Rabbi Yerachmiel Gorelik asked the city to place a 9-foot menorah near a XXXXXX display in Old Town Square, a popular gathering spot. Both years, city officials declined. The city’s attorney said “trees” were secular, while a menorah had both secular and religious meanings.
Businesses, critical of the city’s refusal, began placing menorahs in their windows. A pub adjacent to the square allowed Gorelik to place the menorah on it’s property for the duration of Chanukah.
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14 Responses
When are these people going to realize that Parsumay Nissah does not necessasarily have to lead to Chillul Hashem.
Chazal gave us guidelines how to be mifarsaim the nes of Chanuka. Mehadrin min Hamihadrin light a seperate Menorah per person in each house (or directly outside of it.) All the Yidden who pass by our homes and see these lights, will be reminded of the great miracles of Chanuka.
Chazal did not tell us to put up a Menorah by in every mall or by every xxxx tree. We were not told to go publicize the nes in every airport or shopping center so that all the goyim will hear about Chanuka.
And making headlines daily is certainly not the Parsumay Nissa Chazal had in mind!!
Could it be that we are being influenced by the goyishe holidays? Are we starting to learn from them? If they have trees, we must have Menorahs? If they give presents, we must do the same? They even sell Chanuka flashing lights to decorate your houses with!!
What’s happening to us?
The same group that caused the Chillul Hashem in Seattle, is reponsible for this Chillul Hashem. They are good at making anti-semites.
Nothing is happening to “us.” This is Chabad, not us.
You guys have no idea what you are talking about. The entire city is up in arms against their very own city council, the mayor himself voted for the Menorah and against the city, the US Senator will be participating in the event to show his disbelief with their ridiculous behavior, dozens of prominent business have put up menorahs to show solidarity with the yidden, and over 1000 yidden (probably many goyim too) (in a city of only few thousand yidden) will participate in the lighting as well.
Where is the Chilul Hashem? This appears to be kiddush sheim shamayim, and is bringing together the yidden over there.
We are asking for another holocaust. Don’t these jews know that we are in golus and we are not required to stick our religion in the gentiles faces. Why can’t we just do our own private menorah lighting in each of our houses , the way this was done througout history?
this so called ‘Rabbi’ is sffering from the ‘Immitato Goy’ syndrome.
the goy has to be immitated.
They have XXX trees in malls, a menorah has to be there too.
for the last few narrow minded “lets hide in the pit jews”
Boruch Hashem most of the Jewish world and even most of the Goyim don’t think like you, if C”V people would think like you, Then, we should not have a country, Israel should R”L be destroyed “its going to cause another… R”L) we should not be openly FRUM it may offend the GOYIM …
If even Yid who is far from Yiddishkeit sees these public menorahs and is inspired, it is well worth the fight.
Maybe you shouldnt wear a Yarmulka in public, we are in golus
maybe we should light the menorah away from the windows, we are in golus
maybe we should have our shuls in unmarked buildings, we are in golus
maybe you should use some seichel, oops, it is in golus
Maybe we should let CHAZAL guide us in what is the proper way to publicize this mitzvah!! Lets not make up our own Torah.
They told us to put the menorahs by the windows. Not in the shopping malls or airports.
If this would be proper parsumay nisa, then this should be the BEST form of it. Why then does one not fulfill the mitzvah of Menorah AT ALL when lighting in public?!?
We are not smarter then our previuos generations. If we are doing something they did not do, we probably shouldn’t do it.
TO merliner Says:
TO frieden Says:
TO REALLY PROUD JEW Says:
SINCE WHEN DOES PIRSUMEI NISSA COME ON THE CHESHBON OF CHILLUL HASHEM,LET’S FACE IT EISAV SONEY ES YAAKOV EVERY GOY HATES US WHY INTIMIDATE THEM AND CAUSE MORE HATRED, IT STREGNTHENS THEIR PESIMISTIC VEIW OF THE JEWS THAT THEY’RE ALL OVER AND THAT THEY OWN THE WORLD,
HOWCOME IN PREVIOUS GENERATIONS THE GEDOLIM THEN DID NOT TRY TO FORCE A MENORAH ON TO PUBLIC PROPERTY.
IT’S FANATICISM – THIS IS NOT PIRSUMEI NISSA IT’S CHILLUL HASHEM, THIS STORY MAKES IT TO THE FRONT PAGE AND IN HEADLINES ON THE MEDIA, AND IT FLARES UP THE ANTI SEMITISIM ”STOP IT ALREADY”, IT’S BAD ENOUGH WITH THE NETUREI KARTA WE DON’T NEED THIS GROUP NOW ALSO
THIS WHOLE IDEA OF PUTTING A MENORAH IN A AIRPORT, MALL, ETC. IS CHUKOS HAGOYIM . WE SHOULD NOT START LEARNING FROM THE GOYIM HOW TO KEEP OUR MITZVOS
WE HAVE A SHULCHAN ARUCH (MISHNAH BERURAH) THAT TEACHES US HOW TO KEEP OUR MITZVOHS IT’S FOOLISH TO THINK THAT THIS IS PIRSUMEI NISSA
Listen, I’m no expert in any of these issues (persumei nisa, kiddush Hashem, shillul Hashem, etc.), however, from results I’ve seen from them, they are being mekarev more people than any other group*. As well, from the context of the article, it seems as if public opinion is in their favor, so what is the big deal?
*This is my opinion only, as I don’t have any stats out there, though I would love to see some if anybody has
For those who say that this hasn’t ever been done before… ok so don’t change anything, remember you grandfathers didn’t shop in malls, didn’t read newpapers or use the internet. Don’t do any of those things and there will be no need to put Menoras in malls and have public coverage of menorah lighthings.