Jewish community in Moncton, N.B. ‘hurt profoundly’ as Menorah won’t be displayed at city hall
Moncton’s Jewish community is voicing their discontent with the city’s mayor after they were told a menorah will not be displayed outside city hall during Hannukah, an annual tradition that’s occurred for the past 20 years.
The Moncton Jewish Community, a group representing about 100 families of Jewish people in the region, released a statement on Friday sharing their grievances with the decision allegedly made by the mayor and city representatives.
“The City of Moncton has informed the Moncton Jewish Community that it will no more set up the Chanukah (Hannukah) Menorah in front of City Hall, a tradition that was started twenty years ago,” the statement read, adding the city cited a 2015 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that banned religious prayers at municipal council meetings as a factor that led to their decision.
“Some members of the Jewish community have met the mayor to explain that this decision is unfair and hurts profoundly the Jewish population of Moncton.”
Global News reached out to Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold’s office for comment but didn’t receive a response in time for publication.
Leigh Lampart, a lawyer and member of the Moncton synagogue board of directors, who attended the meeting virtually, said he “suspected something was up” when the synagogue contacted the city to make arrangements for the annual Hannukah tradition which has taken place for decades.
“We were invited to a meeting with the mayor and one of the town councillors and a couple representatives from the city, in which a decision was conveyed that this year the Menorah was going to be banned from city hall, as was the nativity scene,” he said during an interview Sunday on the Roy Green Show.
“We asked ‘Why the decision? Why now? And why was the
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