Free Republic

Harvard forces a Jewish student group to hide its menorah each night after its lighting over fears of vandalism that “won’t look good” for the Ivy League school, the rabbi of Harvard Chabad said. “On our campus in the shadow of Widener Library, we in the Jewish community are instructed, ‘We’ll let you have the menorah, you made your point, OK. Pack it up, don’t leave it out overnight because there will be criminal activity we fear and it won’t look good’,” Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi said at a Hanukkah lighting Wednesday night. Zarchi, the founder and president of Harvard Chabad,...

A menorah set up for Hanukkah at Oakland’s Lake Merritt, in the heart of the city, was vandalized early Wednesday, leading to condemnation by local officials — and a motor rally around the lake Wednesday night by Jews with menorahs on their cars. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, who had participated in a menorah-lighting ceremony at the site just days before, issued a statement blasting the “desecration and act of vandalism,” which appeared to be a blatant act of antisemitism. Oakland’s Jewish community is an essential part of Oakland’s diversity and strength and the City of Oakland takes incidents like the...

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — Embattled Harvard president Claudine Gay attended a campus menorah lighting Wednesday — a day after it emerged she was retaining her job at the Ivy League school despite widespread antisemitism backlash. The under-fire president was among the roughly 100 people to gather at the daily lighting ceremony, organized by the Harvard Chabad, at the campus’ Harvard Park. Gay, who attended alongside her colleague Professor Jeff Bussgang, was spotted lighting the first candle. Despite a slew of anti-Israel protests being held on campus of late, the lighting went ahead calmly without any interruptions. Gay’s appearance came after the...

NOW - MP Grzegorz Braun extinguishes Jewish Hanukkah candles at Poland's parliament.

In a special night-time operation, a giant menorah was brought into central Gaza by Chabad vehicles in cooperation with the IDF. The menorah, which is 14 meters (46 feet) tall, will be lit on the battlefield. "The candles will light up the light of heroism and the hearts of the soldiers, along with dozens of giant menorahs that were placed in the various neighborhoods in Gaza," a Chabad representative stated.

A public menorah lighting has been canceled by an arts festival in Williamsburg, Virginia, over concern that observing the Jewish holiday would amount to endorsing Israel’s policies in its war against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. The Virginia Gazette News reported: A menorah lighting was scheduled for the 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival on Dec. 10. Each month from March to December, the community event hosts artisans, street performers and food vendors, and Jewish leaders were told that the board was not comfortable allowing the lighting at the festival. …

A man was arrested Sunday night after Nazi symbols were found carved into the base of a large menorah in Beverly Hills on the first night of Hanukkah. Officers responded to reports of a man vandalizing a menorah near Sunset Boulevard and Foothill Road, according to a statement released by the Beverly Hills Police Department. The suspect, Eric Brian King, of Dallas, Texas, was captured on surveillance cameras hurling objects at the menorah, police said, and is now under investigation for felony, vandalism and a hate crime.

NYC Mayor-Elect Eric Adams @ Menorah: ‘We NY’ers Know What the Rebbe Did for Us’ Shares Chanukah message of hope By Dovid MargolinNovember 30, 2021 11:15 AM On the first night of Hanukkah, New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams helped light the world’s largest menorah at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, sharing the message of Chanukah as taught by the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. On the first night of Hanukkah, New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams helped light the world’s largest menorah at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, sharing the message...

....officers with the Hallandale Beach Police Department arrested Jeffrey Carl Fleming, 39, on Monday. He is facing charges of stalking and hate crime after a video showed him dropping off a bag of feces on Friday at the Chabad of South Broward. He is also accused of spitting at the menorah before riding away. “It’s rooted in hate and antisemitism,” said Rabbi Mendy Tennenhaus....

Haven't found a video from this year yet, but this is how Technion (the MIT of Israel) students devised a way to light the menorah last year. I love their ingenuity! See it here!

As the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah comes to a close, the discovery of an ancient tomb door with a stunning menorah carving is providing a fascinating glimpse into Israel’s rich history. The basalt tomb door, which is undergoing preservation work, was recently put on display by the Institute of Archaeology at Hebrew University, in Jerusalem. The door was discovered in Tiberias in Israel’s Galilee region in 2010 by archaeologists from the University, but was only revealed to the public a few weeks ago, said Dr. Katia Cytryn-Silverman, senior lecturer at Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology and Department of Islamic and...

An ancient legend which holds that the Temple menorah is hidden away in the depths of the Vatican is coming to light again with the announcement of an upcoming exhibit jointly hosted by the Papal seat and Rome’s ancient Jewish community. Intended to showcase the growing Jewish-Vatican relationship, the theme of the exhibit actually brings this sore subject to the forefront, raising suspicions that despite a long tradition of Vatican protests, the rumors persist for good reason. Arnold Nesselrath, a Vatican Museums official, announced the theme of the upcoming exhibit on Monday, noting that the connection between the Vatican and...

During the Hanukkah festival, hikers discovered a rare engraving of a menorah in a water cistern in the Judean Hills. The Israel Antiquities Authority reports that a rare and intriguing discovery was revealed over the Hanukkah weekend by hikers exploring a water cistern in the Judean hills: On the walls of the cistern, in chalk bedrock, were inscribed ancient engravings of a seven-branched menorah and a cross. Last weekend touring enthusiasts Mickey Barkal, Sefi Givoni, and Ido Meroz, who are members of the Israel Caving Club, went out to visit hidden caves in the Judean hills. According to hiker Ido...

Target Corp. (TGT) recalled about 2,600 Hanukkah menorahs sold from October 2015 through December 2015 for about $20 , because of a fire hazard, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission . The clear acrylic menorahs, in a pyramid design and 10.5 inches long, can melt when the candles are burning, posing a fire hazard, the CPSC said. Target has received eight reports of melting, including three reports of fire, but no property damage or injuries. Target shares shed 1.9% in afternoon trade, and have edged up 0.8% year to date.

Leave to Barack Obama to turn what should be a celebration of the Jewish people’s survival in the face of adversity into a politicized rant celebrating the cause of the Palestinians, who want to “drive them into the sea,” as has been promised since the birth of the modern State of Israel. Daniel Greenfield reports on what should have been the highlight of this year’s White House ceremony at Front Page Magazine: …the White House chose Susan Talve to light the Menorah. Talve is a member of the anti-Israel group T'ruah which is currently promoting assorted "soft BDS" programs. She's...

Paris police are reportedly discouraging Jews from lighting the menorah to mark Hanukkah this weekend, after a series of terror attacks last month killed and wounded hundreds. The warning comes as some Jewish leaders have expressed concern about anti-Semitic threats, after Islamic State group supporters attacked several locations -- including a theater that held pro-Israel events -- on Nov. 13. Jewish organizations in Paris had vowed to hold public Hanukkah ceremonies, including a live concert, starting at sundown Sunday to honor the Jewish holiday. The Jewish outreach organization Chabad Lubavitch is sponsoring more than 60 celebrations and nightly public menorah...

Hanukkah dig reveals stunning bracelet: Fragment of 1,600-year-old glass embossed with menorahs is unearthed in Israel The bracelet remains were found in Israel's Mount Carmel National Park Area was a settlement during the late Roman or early Byzantine period It was found in ancient box containing glass pieces discarded as waste Researchers say it may have been destined to be exported elsewhere Archaeologists in Israel have unearthed fragments of a glass bracelet stamped with seven-branched menorahs. The bracelet remains were found on the second night of Hanukkah in Mount Carmel National Park - once a large settlement during the late...

BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y., December 20, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Village of Briarcliff Manor officials have decided to remove their entire holiday display, including a 9-foot-tall menorah, from a public park rather than allow a resident to add a crèche after Alliance Defense Fund attorneys and allied attorneys won a temporary restraining order Friday from a federal judge. The lawsuit and TRO motion were filed Dec. 11 after the Briarcliff Manor Village's Board of Trustees refused to permit the display. "The village's constitutional violations regarding religious expression in public make them look like the grinches who stole Christmas and Chanukah from the...

Principal Kicks Nativity Scene Out Of School Parents Want To Speak With School Officials POSTED: 7:30 PM EST December 17, 2003 UPDATED: 8:39 PM EST December 17, 2003 A controversy over holiday decorations at a school in Montgomery County continues over the removal of a nativity scene where other holiday displays were allowed to remain. There's a Christmas tree in the lobby of Horsham's Dorothea Simmons Elementary School, along with a Menorah and items representing Kwanzaa. Around the corner, a holiday display is complete just in time for the school's first holiday concert in 12 years. But there's a problem,...

RFFM.org NEWS Springfield, IL -- Earlier this week, an 18 year old man from Springfield was allowed to put up a symbol at the State Capitol Building Rotunda in recognition of a fictional holiday. Michael Tennenhouse applied for and received a permit from the office of Jesse White, Illinois' Secretary of State. White's office is responsible for issuing permits to groups who desire to participate in a public forum inside Illinois' state Capitol building. Tennenhouse claims he sought permission from White's office to honor something called "Festivus" which was a story line from an episode of the Jerry Seinfeld show....