![]() ![]() That this horrible display was put up at City Hall makes us furious,” she wrote, adding, “I have heard this fury from many of you today.”Īmong those responding was a newly elected member of the City Council, Kit Collins, who is Jewish. The lack of Jewish involvement in this event makes us feel invisible in the eyes of our city leaders. ![]() “That we have to explain why this is offensive is frustrating. Edelman prominently sought to teach, not shame, a colleague who made antisemitic comments on social media.īut Ellis also conveyed deep distress about the episode, which she said was a departure from past years when the city invited Temple Shalom to participate in planning the holiday event. Gisele Ellis, Temple Shalom’s president, said that she, too, was inclined to accept the city’s apology, citing the example of Julian Edelman, the star Jewish wide receiver for the New England Patriots who retired this year. “She expressed deep regret on behalf of her staff and the mayor’s office for this careless error,” David wrote, noting that the mayor’s office had received “countless calls” about the display. He also said he had reached out to Medford’s mayor, Breanna Lungo-Koehn, to discuss the situation. He and the synagogue’s president sent statements to their community late Friday as Shabbat began.ĭavid wrote that he had spent the day speaking with other local rabbis, Jewish community members and clergy from other religions. The apology followed a day of meetings and conversations, according to Rabbi Braham David, who leads Temple Shalom in Medford. “Going forward we will consult faith and community leaders, include their experience and expertise in our event planning processes, and ensure that every public-facing item is represented appropriately and accurately.” “We sincerely regret the harm and are committed to learn from this mistake,” the apology said. Late Friday, it issued an apology on Facebook and the photo of the table with the menorah has since been removed from Facebook. It quickly became clear to the city that that was not the case. Instead, the staffer wrote, she had come across the image while researching about religious traditions and thought it might be helpful for people attending the event. In Medford, some were concerned that a Messianic Jew was responsible for Jewish affairs within the municipal government, or that City Hall had reached out to a Messianic Jew for guidance instead of to representatives of the local Jewish community.īut according to a note posted in a local Facebook group by the City Hall staffer who said she had created the display, the image did not reflect an ideology at all. Messianic Jews are people who follow many Jewish practices while believing in the divinity of Jesus no mainstream Jewish movement considers them Jewish. The image is widely available online as an illustration of Messianic interpretations of the menorah. One branch was labeled “cross,” for example, while another was labeled “resurrection.” Instead, it was a picture of a seven-branched menorah labeled with Christian terms. And a third showcased the menorah, used by Jews during the holiday of Hanukkah.Īlthough the table held an electric menorah with nine candles, the menorah in a photo placed on the table wasn’t the one used by Jews during Hanukkah. Another featured the kinara, the candelabra used during the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa. One set of pictures showcased the history of Christmas trees. Along with photos with Santa, a wreath sale and the lighting of the town Christmas tree, the holiday event featured a table inside City Hall with framed descriptions of holiday symbols. The issue began shortly after the Holiday Extravaganza on Wednesday evening, when the town posted pictures from the event. “This is just another example of how that’s really not the case,” she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency of the holiday display. Sarah Beardslee, a Jewish resident of Medford for 30 years, said the city had recently sought to demonstrate that it values diversity.
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