Residents: Menorah Dwarfs Christmas Tree

[Midnight Mike]

OrlandoSentinel.com
Residents: Menorah Dwarfs Christmas Tree
By Associated Press

5:21 AM EST, December 8, 2007

LONG BEACH, N.Y.

Residents didn't want to have themselves a merry little Christmas tree. They wanted a big one.

When city officials planted a 7-foot-tall Christmas tree next to a 20-foot-tall menorah in the plaza in front of City Hall, some residents barked. They telephoned City Hall, wrote letters and testified at a public hearing that the tiny tree in the shadow of the huge Hanukkah symbol was an insult to Christians.

"What's up with the giant menorah and the Charlie Brown Christmas tree?" resident Rick Hoffman asked.

City Manager Edwin Eaton said he had looked far and wide -- all the way to Canada -- for a bigger tree but couldn't find one.

"This year is going to be kind of a 'bah, humbug,' Christmas," Eaton had said.

But on Wednesday the city of about 35,000 residents 25 miles southeast of midtown Manhattan found a tree to match the 20-foot menorah: a 20-foot blue spruce.

The old tree, a Bacheri spruce, was pruned of its lights, dug up, and taken to a mall.

A lighting ceremony for the new tree is scheduled for Friday.

[jran225]

This is hilarious and quite sad at the same time - I can't believe people are actually competing over the size of their religious symbols. You know, we talk about religious fanatics in the Middle East, but the truth is that we have plenty of them over here. Granted, they don't go around killing people, but this is just as idiotic.
In conclusion, and not to sound too clichee: "It's not the size of your symbol that matter, but what you do with it." Jeez..

Greets,
-Omar S.

[nwafan20]

To be fair Omar, the Christmas tree is not really a religious symbol, it is more of a secular symbol, now a 20 foot baby Jesus, then we are in business!!! :D :D

[adam613]

To be fair Omar, the Christmas tree is not really a religious symbol, it is more of a secular symbol, now a 20 foot baby Jesus, then we are in business!!! :D :D

So is the menorah, for the most part. Chanukah isn't really a religious holiday for the Jews; it's a cultural holiday (that celebrates a military victory).

And this whole equating-Christmas-with-Chanukah thing always cracks me up, because Chanukah is a very minor holiday on the Jewish calendar, whereas Christmas is one of the big ones.

[hiss srq]

They still did a ****ty job on the tree. It was a big deal down here . The tree has tons of dead dark spots but to each their own. Long Beach is primaraly Jewish so it has always been a overlooked issue I guess. This is the first yuear of issues I can recall.

[moose135]

You know, we talk about religious fanatics in the Middle East, but the truth is that we have plenty of them over here. Granted, they don't go around killing people, but this is just as idiotic.

Don't tell that to the folks in Colorado!

[hiss srq]

Well, I will give Eaton credit for the fact that when something is a problem he fixes it or at least works on it. Next year there is going to be a ceremony for a lighting and we are goingh to be putting it in a more centeral location in front of city hall. In years past we had a HUGE tree right next to the Menorah down onh the far east end next tio the Long Beach fire house at the Lido boarder.

[Mateo]

And the Hanukkiah (not a menorah) comes down tomorrow night, anyway! I hate pissing matches like this, especially considering that it's over a holiday that's not even a holiday as far as Jewish law is concerned.