Posted on 12/02/2004 8:06:57 AM PST by churchillbuff
The Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado has announced that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will once again light the community Menorah on the first night of Chanukah. The public is invited to join in the annual community lighting ceremony on Tuesday, December 7 beginning at 5:30 pm.
I look forward to joining the Denver Jewish community in lighting the community Menorah again this year, said Mayor John Hickenlooper, who will make his second consecutive appearance at the Federations ceremony. Chanukah brings communities across Colorado and the world together in celebration of light, freedom and peace.
The community Menorah is located at 300 S. Dahlia Street, corner of East Alameda and South Dahlia Street in Denver, next to the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado building.
We are honored that Mayor Hickenlooper will once again be taking part in our community Menorah lighting ceremony, stated Doug Seserman, President and CEO of Federation. The Mayors presence represents Denvers support and observance of this important Jewish holiday and we appreciate his participation, Seserman continued.
Lighting ceremonies will continue nightly through Chanukah beginning with the Mayor lighting on December 7 and ending on December 14. The lighting schedule for December 8-14 is still tentative, but Federation anticipates that various local Jewish agencies will host the lighting each night.
Merry Christmas.
It will be very merry for me. I plan on attending the Christmas Carole Rebellion!
Great Ginger, sing one for me.
I think this really just backfires for liberals and kooky secular humanists. It demonstrates how nutty they are. And it just intensifies the dedication and devotion of conservative Christians.
If some liberal jerk or secular humanist dork wants to play King Herod or the Grinch, they just show how silly and ridiculous they are.
Hickenlooper (this clown's name should be banned, not CHRISTmas) is walking down a slippery slope. Some Muslim fanatics may claim that lighting the Menorah is offensive to the ROP.
At least they can still say "Karisumasu."
I'll bet his brew pub is serving a "Christmas" ale.
He isn't changing the name of Christmas either.
Nor is he rescinding the ban on the Menorah alongside the Creche on public property. That's fine with me since I'm not particularly enthusiastic about secularizing religious holidays, at least mine. But maybe someone can explain to me just how Jews or Chanukah are involved in this story.
The Mayor's using his public office to censor Christians doesn't reflect well on other faiths who stand silently by and allow it. It would have been a nice gesture if Colorodans of the Jewish faith had said to the Mayor. "If you won't recognize Christians and Christmas, we won't participate."
Since I posted the article, let me give a try. The mayor is bringing the prestige of his official presence to a Menorah lighting - - a form of government acknowledgment of religion. Fine by me! More power to him! But then he turns around and says government can't acknowledge Christmas by saying "Merry Christmas". That's a double standard on the mayor's part.
But, but, but...people can see that menorah from public streets, and might become offended! They should put it where it can't be seen by the general public, or even accessed from public property, because we just can't run the risk of offending skinheads or other neo-nazis like the ACLU.
Nice to hear form the Jew-obcessed.
Lets see.
The mayor makes a dumb move and says next year he's replacing Merry Christmas. Stupid, and as you know he's changed his mind.
Clearly all this "government acknowledgement" lights your fire, so lets look at it.
The Mayor (and I see absolutely nothing to indicate he's Jewish, despite the protestations of the Jew-obcessed on the other thread), in his official role, lights the city's HOLIDAY (CHRISTMAS?, I don't know what he calls it) display.
It includes a CHRISTMAS TREE, on public property, with the "prestiege" of the mayor in official attendance.
It includes a CRECHE, on public propertywith the "prestiege" of the mayor in official attendance.
It says MERRY CHRISTMAS, in lights, on public property, with the "prestiege" of the mayor in official attendance.
The only mention of a MENORAH, on pulbic property, comes from the supervisor in charge of the display, who says they're BANNED, because the city doesn't want to include other religions. Yes, he should have kept his mouth shut.
Plenty of public acknowledgement of CHRISTMAS, and Christianity, which is fine. The MENORAH is banned, which I don't much care about.
Then, HORRORS, the Mayor accepts an invitation to attend a MENORAH lighting, at a PRIVATE Jewish community center on PRIVATE property, yes with the Mayors official attendence. And you're and bent out of shape at the Jews.
You're right, that is a double standard. The fact that you view it as an expression of Jewish anti-Christian sentiment is a reflection of your own bigotry, not the facts.
You don't have to waste your time responding if you don't want, your opinion is of little interest to me.
Time to quit whining. In the context of the Christmas/Holiday celebration, I don't know what the city calls it, the city already bans expression of the Jewish faith on public property. That's why they invited the Mayor to the Jewish Community Center.
Laura Ingraham had an African-American guest on her radio show today who tried to get a religious float in the Denver Christmas parade. Maybe a choir, possibly even singing secular songs at times. Nope - no chance. The Native-Americans did get their float in though. Something with a theme about conjuring spirits - or keeping the evil kind away. Gays and lesbians will be well represented, as well...
This is unbelievable!
Isn't it, a mayor, here in America, in attendence at a Jewish Community center. Horrorible!!
Main Entry: Ha·nuk·kah
Pronunciation: 'hä-n&-k&, '[k]ä-
Function: noun
Etymology: Hebrew hanukkAh dedication
: an 8-day Jewish holiday beginning on the 25th of Kislev and commemorating the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem after its defilement by Antiochus of Syria
I just don't get it; this is certainly obvious to anybody who understands English though.
That's strikingly similar to the rationale for the National Endowment for the Arts - that without public money for "fine works of art" like "Piss Christ" and an vagina-photo adorned picture of the Virgin Mary at the Brooklyn Museum's "Sensation" exhibit, we are going to be poorer as a culture.
The culture got along just fine when display of creches was not subsidized by money forcibly confiscated from the general public, and I think that we'd all be just fine if we went back to that state of affairs.
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