A decision by Lake Forest officials limiting the presence of a Menorah in Market Square this year is drawing criticism from some residents who believe the traditional Hanukkah symbol should be in place for the full eight days of the Jewish holiday.
On the afternoon of Dec. 29, the Chabad of Lake Forest has scheduled a Menorah lighting ceremony in Market Square with Mayor Stanford “Randy” Tack set to attend. However, in a reversal from last year, the Menorah will only be present in the downtown shopping center during the Sunday afternoon observance, not for the full Festival of Lights.
“There is definitely disappointment,” said Rabbi Moshe Spalter, director of the Lake Forest Chabad. “It was not what I was expecting or hoping for. We have a good relationship with the city. Last year they were extremely helpful with the Menorah. We just expected that again. Unfortunately, they thought otherwise for their reasons.”
The city’s decision sparked an outcry and creation of a change.org petition with more than 6,800 digital signatures as of Dec. 27.
Michael Karras, a city resident, expressed his frustration with the decision.
“I am disappointed the city couldn’t present a respectful way to observe the eight days of Hanukkah for the growing number of residents who observe the holiday,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Unfortunately, their shortsighted decision continues to draw negative attention to Lake Forest and is a poor reflection on our leadership who had an opportunity to send an important message of inclusion during the holiday season.”
City officials maintain the decision comes from advice from their lawyers.
“That is based on legal guidance from the city’s attorney the city must allow all requests for extended displays of public property on private property or deny them all to ensure there is safe public access and consistency in the use of public spaces,” city spokeswoman Dana Olson explained.
She added that the length of last year’s display elicited questions that led to a reassessment of the situation.
“It also led to inquiries from other groups about displaying temporary installations, such as a nativity scene. Moving forward, the city will only approve temporary installations on public property by private parties as part of a specifically approved, time-limited special event,” Olson added. “Allowing temporary installations to remain on public property beyond the designated time frame of an approved event would require the city to accommodate all similar requests, regardless of the group, occasion, message, or time of year. To ensure fairness and consistency, the city limits these installations to the duration of their associated events.”
Yet by limiting the Menorah lighting to the length of the ceremony, Lake Forest is taking a different approach than neighboring communities including Lake Bluff where a Menorah also provided by the Lake Forest Chabad is set to be on the Village Green through Jan. 2, when Hanukkah concludes.
“Different towns choose to make different decisions and based on guidance from the city’s attorney, the City of Lake Forest has opted to not display the Menorah for all eight nights of Hanukkah or other displays that are requested on public property,” Olson said.
Spalter emphasized in a Facebook message he agreed the city’s decision was due to legal considerations and other issues and was not accusing anyone of anti-Semitism.
“In today’s climate, when anti-Semitism is unfortunately on the rise, it’s understandable for that to be on everyone’s mind, but we assure you that this is not the case here” he wrote. “We continue to maintain a positive and supportive relationship with the city and hope to work together on this matter in the future.”
In an interview, Spalter, who opened the Chabad in 2023, contended having the Menorah up for eight days would have been a strong symbolic move for Lake Forest, which traditionally has had a limited Jewish population.
“We just felt like it would be a great moment for the city to truly show the direction of the city,” he said. “They have come a long way. Just the fact that they have had a Hanukkah celebration in the past couple of years already shows them what the city is moving toward and we just felt they could put out a nice statement about the city by allowing a Menorah.”
Olson did not respond directly if there were concerns about the overall optics of limiting the presence of the Menorah just to the ceremony.
Yet she offered gratitude for the Chabad’s initiative in providing the ceremony.
“We appreciate the Chabad’s efforts to create a welcoming community and we support the Menorah lighting and Hanukkah ceremony in Market Square and we invite residents to participate in that and we look forward to that celebration,” she said.
Spalter said he hopes the Chabad and city officials can work a different arrangement for next year and said he is friends with City Manager Jason Wicha.
“We have a warm relationship and we appreciate his help with Chabad in general,” he said.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
