Faidfield, CT – Pouring rain failed to dampen the spirts of a small group of families huddled on the Sherman Green gazebo to light a menorah on the third night of Hanukkah Sunday.
Neither did three masked men, who carrying Nazi flags and shouting obscenities, tried to disrupt the ceremony until they fled when police arrived.
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“I’m glad I was there,” said Fairfield First Selectman Kenneth Flatto.
So was Rabbi Shlame Landa who staged the ceremony for Chabad of Fairfield.
“It’s important to see we don’t back down from spreading goodness and light,” said Landa.
The men, dressed in black, showed up just as the ceremony was beginning, stayed on the sidewalk about 20 yards from the gazebo. Each carried a flag held in outstretched arms. One flag bore a swastika, another an iron cross.
From his vantage point, Flatto said he could hear obscenities, but never felt threatened. He did, however, call police.
In the interim, a number of passers-by not involved in the ceremony started yelling at the masked men. Some waved at the menorah lighters. A few joined in the ceremony. When police showed up, the men left in a car headed west on the Post Road with police trailing behind them. It is unclear if the men were stopped by police.
Flatto said he came to the ceremony to show his support. He said it was important to acknowledge and celebrate as many religions and ethnicities as possible.
“These people came to try and mar a ceremony,” he said of the masked men. “They did not succeed. Everyone there pretty much ignored that and focused on what is good about the holiday … a celebration of the festival of lights.”
Landa said it wasn’t a stretch to feel a little by like the Maccabees — on whom the story of Hanukkah is based. After battling religious persecution in 60 B.C.E., a small band of Jews lit a nine branched candelabra called a menorah to help resanctify their temple. The menorah is lit each night during the eight-day festival.
“We continue that battle,” said Landa. “The way we chose to battle darkness is to add a little bit more light. By doing a little bit more goodness is how we fight people who hate. That is what we tried to do tonight.”
Landa has been planning the menorah lighting for weeks and secured a permit from the town Park and Recreation Department. He had hoped to have many more than the 20 or so who braved a freezing rain. He said he wasn’t really focused on what was occurring on the sidewalk, but did notice the numbers in the gazebo seemed to swell a bit toward the end of the short ceremony, which included the lighting of a 9-foot portable menorah, followed by songs and refreshments.
“I told my wife, Miriam, on the way home, if (the masked men) came out in the rain, how much more does it say that we have to be there,” he added. “We really had to be there tonight. If not, they would have won half the battle.”
we know that anti-semitism exists. these public x-mas-like lightings, which have no halachic relevance, bring them out of the woodwork. they bite off fingers and protest. let’s be jews, light in our homes, and not create pointless soapboxes for anti-semites
Funny how ignorant these ppl are.
If you are gonna write an article atleast do the research.
“a small band of Jews lit a nine branched candelabra called a menorah to help resanctify their temple”
The Macabies lit a 9 branched menorah?
Last time I checked the menorah in the temple had 7 branches.
I’d rather have them out of the woodwork so that we can see them and, more importantly, so that the goyim can see them.
To the professor and #4 …. people like you also say not to wear shtreimlech and even yarmulkes in the street – hide that judaism as much as you can!!!
Goyim hate you, even if you hide!!! We learned that already in Germany.
Sorry but burying your head in the sand won’t help you. But strengthening our belief in Hashem will!!! These menorah lightings fortify the faith of our people and remind us that darkness is fought and overcome NOT by pretending it doesn’t exist, but by adding light – one mitzvah at a time…
May we be blessed with a lichtige Chanuka!
The three men shown in the photo are the best examples of hate mixed with cowardness. Why are they hiding their faces..do they work for Jew’s ..do they hold public office..do they worship a Jew on Sunday mornings…just curious!
well be happy they only found 3 idiots only 3 could be a good sign
Nebach!!!
Its interesting how people blame and say its our own fault and we are not supposed to publisize while in golus, but even if they wouldnt put up the public menorras the anti semitizm still exists!!
The real sakono is that if I, a poshute Yid, will see another “comment” like “Chazal told us to light inside” or “we need to keep low profile” or “don’t make the goyim angry” or “who ever heard of lighting in a square” or “electric not kosher”, etc.. – the sakono is that my head will explode. What has become of us?! Gevald, gevald.
In late eighties in town where I lived in Russia, a few university boys set-up a menoiro in a public square. I should have been with them but I found out only later. They planned this in complete secrecy. They managed to put up the menoiro and light it. The cops arrested all of them and threw them all in jail. In those days this meant automatic dismissal from university – this means automatic draft into russian army. A Jewish kid in the russian army has about 50% chance of coming out alive. They knew this all too well and still they did it. And I can tell you the effect of this was that hundreds of people lit menoiros the following Chanukah. Now thanks to Lubavitch we have millions, B”H
A freilechen Chanukah, Yidden.
I love how it works, in the 1960s and 70s everyone bashed Chabad for Kiruv, then they started doing it so they become the “professional” in the field. now the only people that do Menorah lighting is Chabad and some jelous people start yelling….
Yeah, yeah, there would be no yiddishkeit left in the world without chabad. The rebbe a”h was the leader of klal yisrael, only his followers are real chassidim and only chassidus is real yiddishkeit. Say three yechis and pass the kool aid.
lets not forget why we are mefarsem the ness. bring your flags, bring your boots, bring your guns, bring your death squads, bring your death camps bring it all WE WILL STILL FIND A WAY TO LIGHT WITH POTATO PEELS. we will NOT back down, we will not go away, netzach yisroel lo yishaker.
i thank my rebbi for giving me the light and to take it out side in that dark cold world and that jew who is lost and cold can see the light and find his way back to his warm torah ect,
Just want to clarify, in case people don’t realize this — Chabad does NOT hold that you are yotzei the mitzvah of menorah by lighting in the street. We still light in our own homes. The point of lighting in public is so that even more people can learn about the miracle of Chanukah (since many of them have, unfortunately, never even heard of a menorah….) In today’s times, when technology and the media have become so “in-your-face”, it’s easy for Yidden to forget their true identities. Chanukah commemorates our victory over assimilation into Greek culture, and we must ensure that Jews today, wherever they are, do not become assimilated either (and yes, that is a job for everyone, not just Chabad.)
And by the way, I do agree that we should stop with the attacking and the name calling. You may disagree, but you still have to be nice, no matter how right you are. 🙂
As a Lubavitcher I fully support public lighting ceremonies because that is what the Rebbe wanted! I don’t need any other reason.
That being said as a Lubavitcher I know how hard it is to realize that there are other ways of doing things and they are right too. Lubavitchers can’t understand how others do things the way they do. Unfortunately we really do believe that everyone else has got it wrong.
The Rebbe wanted YOU to do it his way that does not mean it is the only way.
As a bochur I spent many hours on “mivtzoim” on Channukah. Many times a Jewish person would come to light and then ask us if their “partner” who is not Jewish could light too. I always said (politely) no. But many guys allowed it even using hashems name. I know it just a small example and it doesn’t represent all of Lubavitch, but this whole business of light and darkness has been watered down to facilitate the needs of the balai teshuva.
It’s great that you became frum, now take the time to understand how to truly practice it. How often can you do (lemudi kodesh) homework with your children?
What’s you excuse? Too busy figuring out the true meaning of “shaim havaya”?
Keep up the great work!
Be truthful
If 1 yid became closer to his Jewish roots and Hashem, because of the pride he felt when a public menorah lighting was done in his hometown, dont you think it was worthwhile and kedai?
(if aswered still no, if this was your child then would it be worthwhile? then of course the aswer is yes, well it is someones Jewish child, and the Rebbe viewed them as his child, it is Hashems child!)
dont you think that this is the case ? that these lost jews feel a sense of pride and become closer to their Jewish heritage, that children who see only xmas trees in their hometowns throughout the usa and now they also see a grand menorah feel Jewish pride..
besides the Halacha is clearly to light outdoors of your home for pirsumai nisa and bases the time until the tarmoudaim stop walking the streets.. unless in times of persecutions
We are meant to be a ohr lagoyim…