New York – The co-op board at 2 Beekman Place on the East Side has no love for the Jewish Festival of Lights and is refusing to put up a menorah alongside the nine-foot, stylish Christmas tree in the lobby of the swanky building.
Co-op board member Alann Dinkoff alleges that the menorah is a religious symbol, while the Christmas tree is, “a holiday decoration, not a celebration of Christmas.” Dinkoff says the tree is akin to the poinsettias which were placed in the lobby merely “as holiday decorations.”
But Charles Mirotznik, 59, the resident who requested the menorah, says Dinkoff’s reasoning is “hogwash.” “The White House has a menorah and the White House stands for what? Democracy in America, right?” Mirotznik told the Daily News (http://nydn.us/U7mSsv). “If we can’t get it together in a co-op, you think we can get it together in the world?”
Dinkoff has said the board will consider the possibility of adding a menorah for Chanukah next year, but in the interim, the next 12 months will give the board “the opportunity to give these difficult issues the necessary thought.”