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Durham, NH council discusses tree lighting, menorah request

DURHAM, N.H. — A New Hampshire town council held a special meeting to discuss its annual tree lighting at a local park and the decision to deny a 9-foot-tall menorah to be displayed next to it.

The Durham council met Monday night, with concerns growing that the holiday tree lighting event would be canceled all together.

Dozens of people had weighed in on social media, and residents wrote letters to town council members.

Monday, after more passionate pleas, the council chose to keep the Christmas lighting event and tree, and form a committee to look at the issue further.

They also left the door open to menorahs or other religious symbols.

Last month, the local Chabad Jewish organization asked for the menorah to be put next to the tree. Town officials said no, saying they haven't historically allowed the display of overt religious symbols on town property. They also cited vandalism concerns.

"As I’ve said in the past, the town allows for some to publicly express their culture," Rabbi Berel Slavaticki said. "That is great, and we hope that continues. Including a menorah next year would only serve to enhance our community. To go to the extreme of stopping everyone from openly expressing their particular faith seems un-American and would be a terrible loss for our town and our country."

The tree is referred to as a holiday tree, but some consider it a religious symbol. They feel that all religious symbols should be permitted in the park or none at all.

MORE: New Hampshire town considering axing Christmas tree display

City council members say they'll take the issue of who will be put on the special committee at one of their January meetings.

"More than a thousand cities across America annually figure out how to include everyone in the public square, with trees and menorahs, etc., without incident," Slavaticki said. "They make up, borrowing a phrase from President George H. W. Bush, a thousand points of light. I’m optimistic that Durham will be one of those points of light by figuring out how to make this work."