Posted on 12/02/2004 8:06:57 AM PST by churchillbuff
The Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado has announced that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will once again light the community Menorah on the first night of Chanukah. The public is invited to join in the annual community lighting ceremony on Tuesday, December 7 beginning at 5:30 pm.
“I look forward to joining the Denver Jewish community in lighting the community Menorah again this year,” said Mayor John Hickenlooper, who will make his second consecutive appearance at the Federation’s ceremony. “Chanukah brings communities across Colorado and the world together in celebration of light, freedom and peace.”
The community Menorah is located at 300 S. Dahlia Street, corner of East Alameda and South Dahlia Street in Denver, next to the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado building.
“We are honored that Mayor Hickenlooper will once again be taking part in our community Menorah lighting ceremony,” stated Doug Seserman, President and CEO of Federation. “The Mayor’s presence represents Denver’s support and observance of this important Jewish holiday and we appreciate his participation,” Seserman continued.
Lighting ceremonies will continue nightly through Chanukah beginning with the Mayor lighting on December 7 and ending on December 14. The lighting schedule for December 8-14 is still tentative, but Federation anticipates that various local Jewish agencies will host the lighting each night.
CO: Christmas in Colorado; All Hell Breaking Out. by Blogicus Maximus
Its Christmas time in the mile high city and all hell is breaking loose.
Things began to unravel last week when Denver Mayor Hickenlooper, a Democrat, decided to ban the words "Merry Christmas" from the city and county building in downtown Denver. "Merry Christmas," due to its offensive nature, will be replaced with "Happy Holidays."
This seemed like a surprising misstep for the mayor who had been riding high after some major victories during the election, his party managed to win both houses of the state legislature for the first time since Kennedy beat Nixon. He also favored a massive expansion of both light and heavy rail, dubbed FasTracks, which won a surprisingly strong victory. He also won approval for a new citizen review board that will assist in the oversight of the police force. After all these recent victories it seemed strange the Mayor Hickenlooper would spend his political capital by removing the "Merry Christmas" over the city and county building, especially when a giant nativity scene is still sitting on the building's steps.
Now comes the news that the non-profit group that runs the Parade of Lights, a Christmas, or should we say Holiday Parade, that is celebrating its thirtieth birthday this year, has banned a local Christian Church from participating in the event.
As this story begins to get national attention, it rapidly is evolving into a major public relations fiasco for Denver and Colorado. Many new questions have been raised, such as why keep the nativity scene? If "Merry Christmas" could offend someone, then surely a nativity scene on public property could send a non-christian into a panic. Why ban a Christian Church's parade float? If the Christian themed float, with its Merry Christmas message and Christmas carols cannot participate because of its "religious theme" then one must ask why the "Two Sprit Society's" float, which honors homosexual American Indians as "holy people," or the float with the lion dance, which is a tradition of the Chinese New Year?
Overall, this rapidly expanding story seems to be a no-win situation for Denver and its once seemingly unstoppable mayor, who now is being called "Scroogenlooper" among some circles.
Ping
Unbelievable.
Notice that he doesn't refer to Chanukah in a religious way either, but rather a "celebration of light, freedom and peace". Nice secular little holiday for shopping, just like Christm...I mean, Winter Holiday.
No christain persecution here folks, so just smile and move along. END SARCASM!!
It seems the problem is that they are trying to dis-associate the month of December as the month we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ, the fact is that Chanukah and the Birth of Jesus didn't happen this month but we both honor these 2 holidays this month.
Chanukah is Dec 7th a historical and important event for the Jewish people, however CHRISTMAS IMHO is for EVERYONE a time that people might be a bit kinder, friendlier, humble and might look up to the sky with gratitude to Almighty GOD that he loved us human beings so much that he gave us his Son to pay the penalty of sinful people so that WE ALL have an opportunity to live with him for eternity.
This world is one big Train Station we are waiting for that train to take us to our final destination and hopefully we all board the one where Jesus Christ is the conductor..
Hsppy Chanukah to all our Jewish freeper friends!
Homosexual Indians are holy people??? Bwahahahahaa did someone spell that wrong? should it be holey people and in brown holey? Good gooogamooga the worlds gone nuts.
I wouldnt call Homosexual Indians holy people I would call them queers, why get racial? One name fits them all.
...next to the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado building.
Note that this is not city-owned or -operated property.
Nobody here in Merrimack is complaining about the creche on the lawn of the local Catholic church, the key aspect being that it is on the lawn of the church, not the town hall.
I think the mayors an idiot and wouldn't invite him myself, but your suggestion that as retaliation Jews shouldn't be allowed light a Menorah at a Jewish Community Center is equally idiotic.
Hickenlooper is finally showing his true colors. He kinda ran as a conservative (ie: he was going to slim down the city gov't, make parking meters free on certain days for downtown shopping, etc). Since that time, he has endorsed Kerry for pres and banned any tiny reference to Christianity.
I'm moving. I miss the suburbs.
BTTT
Read a little closer, friend. I never said they shouldn't have the menorah, I said I wasn't bothering to shop in Denver now.
Ping
I normally would think that lighting the menorah is a nice thing but not now. Why do the Jews get to call it Hanukkah but the Christians can't call it Christmas?
Guess that wasn't you. No, the poster didn't say they shouldn't light it, just that it wasn't a nice thing.
?.......Denver?
I thought it was Boulder that had the famous historic Christmas Parades?
...........but,.....maybe,...The Boulder anti-christians have taken control of Denver too?
....'roots'.....?
/sarcasm
Denver bans words 'Merry Christmas' from traditional downtown parade of lights
A lump of coal in Denver's stocking (for banning the term "Christmas")
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