Golden, CO – The City of Golden is considering a ban on religious symbols on city property after a rabbi asked to put a menorah next to a tree strung with holiday lights.
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Golden City Council will vote on a proposal that would enact a ban on all religious symbols on city property. Some say if they allow the 6-to-8 foot menorah to be placed here, there’s no telling how many other groups will come forward demanding their own displays.
For years, the city has strung up lights on several trees in the downtown area. Rabbi Levi Brackman asked the city for permission to place a menorah next to one of the trees, a big evergreen, at 10th and Washington.
“Just like any other child who comes along and sees from their tradition, the lights on the tree,” Brackman said. “When a Jewish kid comes along, why shouldn’t they also be able to see a menorah?”
The city says it’s not the menorah, it’s the precedent. “The goal here is to set guidelines.
The city has had a history of having a display downtown that didn’t include any kind of specific religious message or theme,” said Jonathan Ashford, City of Golden Spokesperson. “We’ve tried to keep it neutral, very open, very inclusive.”
Brackman says if the city does ban all religious symbols, it’s discrimination. “I’m astonished,” he said. “We went to Evergreen and we have one at the Lakehouse in Evergreen, and it was a no-brainer. We went in there, they said, ‘Sure, absolutely, no problem.'”
The city says all it wants is to have a non-religious holiday display for everyone, and that in the interest of inclusivity, they will now call Christmas trees “Holiday Trees” instead.
“Supreme Court ruled that an evergreen tree with lights is not a secular thing,” Ashford said. “It’s a holiday celebration. It’s a decorated tree.”
The Supreme Court decision allows both a Christmas tree and menorah to be placed on city-owned property.
“I just say, ‘What’s wrong with having religious symbols?’ The Supreme Court has already ruled on this, so the precedent is there. I don’t see the issue,” Brackman said.
Whichever way council votes following their public hearing, it will not affect most of Golden’s holiday decorations downtown. The Chamber of Commerce will still have all of their displays. This issue only affects city-owned property.
There was a similar debate in Fort Collins last year. City leaders considered banning religious symbols, which brought dozens of angry phone calls and emails. Fort Collins ended up allowing religious decorations.
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The Golden City Council voted unanimously on Thursday night to only allow secular items on city property for the holidays this year.
What a bounch of morrons!!! “Its the precedent” were trying to keep it neutral…” Bla bla… They displayed the cristion stuf for years now when asked to display the menorah, they’re ready to rather take everything off!!!
Lubavitch get a life u do a great job without the menorah in public
Lubavitch get a life, realize we are in golus and stop fanning the flames of hatred. The frie jews don’t give a cr*p anyway!
Reply to #2 and #3
Are you guys brothers? You surely sound like it. Just stop being so apologetic about your yiddishkeit learn a little more about the mitzvah of chanukah and Jewish pride and perhaps your perverted views and negative outlook towards life will change a little.
GO Lubavitch Go !!!!
Here we go again.
You are all way off the mark – in today’s politcally correct world – the govenrments (meaning towns and cities) have to have equal for all – so if it’s the goyish holiday, they want trees etc, the jews want the menorah, the moslems want their symbols, etc.. So as to not to ‘offend’ anyone it’s GOYNISH for all 🙂
From experience I can tell you that these public Menorahs have returned huge numbers of Jews to Judaism and have inspired many more. It brings out Jewish pride and Jewish identity.
So? That makes it OK to antagonize the rest of the country?
Can you find a mekor in Shas or Poskim (or in history for that matter) for such a thing?
Putting up a menorah doesn’t antagonize the goyim. What antagonizes the goyim is left-wing Jews telling them they can’t put up a Xmas tree, since they worship the god of separation of church and state rather than the Aibershter.