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Town, Religious Leaders Square Off Over Menorah Display

Menorah Will Stand On Last Day Of Hanukkah

POSTED: 6:39 pm EST December 6, 2004
UPDATED: 7:17 pm EST December 6, 2004

Wellesley has had a change of its holiday heart. After first denying a rabbi's request to place a menorah in front of the town hall, town selectman are expected to announce a compromise Monday night.

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NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that wreaths and lights adorn Wellesley's town hall, but some are asking if the decorations mean Christmas or just the holiday season.

"We do have wreaths and we do have lights, but this is more of a reflection of the holiday season, the winter season, if you will, and not necessarily a religious connotation to it," said acting Wellesley Executive Director Christopher Clark.

"As a Jew, when I see a wreath hung up on a lamppost or I see lights, regardless of the color of those lights, even if they are just white lights on a tree, that means Christmas," said Rabbi Moshe Bleich, of the Wellesley-Weston Chabad Center.

Bleich asked to put a menorah in front of Wellesley Town Hall. At first, the town rejected the idea, but Bleich threatened to sue, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the menorah had a secular element, much like a Christmas tree.

On Monday, Clark said a compromise would be announced allowing a menorah in front of the town hall for one day, Dec. 14, the last day of Hanukkah.

"Some people have said, 'Don't you think that by putting up an menorah that you are going to be opening up the door and the Christians will want to put up a cross or a creche?' Religion is a beautiful thing regardless of which religion," said Bleich.

Could this open the door to re-establishing creches on public property?

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"Potentially that could be an outcome," said Clark.

With the recent election, some believe religion may be making a political comeback.

"In my heart of hearts, I think we should be open to any kind of religious expression as long as it is a positive one," said one Wellesley resident.

"Profanity and sex -- there is just too much on TV. I just turn it off. Maybe we need more religion, but not on city hall," said another Wellesley resident.

Wellesley Town Counsel Albert Robinson said it is a giant legal leap to assume the next step would be the establishment of a creche in front of the town hall, and that would likely invite a much bigger debate.

Robinson said a Christmas tree and menorah are the standard secular symbols in about 75 cities and towns across Massachusetts.

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