With the holiday season fast approaching, homes and businesses throughout our community will soon be decorated to reflect this festive time of year. As business owners and township officials prepare to decorate for Christmas and Hanukkah, it is my hope that they take the real meaning of these upcoming holidays into account in choosing what reflects a true representation of each.
Christmas and Hanukkah are significant religious holidays for Christians and Jews throughout the world. It has become commonplace for the Christmas holiday to be represented by Christmas trees and images of Santa Claus, especially by business and township offices.
A crèche display representing the manger where Jesus — whom Christians believe to be the son of God — was born in Nazareth is too often forgotten or ignored. After all, Christmas is the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The non-religious Christmas tree and/or Santa Claus take its place. This is wrong and should be corrected.
The menorah (candelabra) which people of the Jewish faith use to commemorate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is often used in business and township holiday displays.
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days to commemorate the victory of the Jews over the Syrians in 165 BCE. Following their victory, the Maccabees, sons of the Priestly family that led the Jews in their revolt against the Syrians, entered the holy temple in Jerusalem. They attempted to cleanse it and rededicate it.
However, they were unable to find enough undefiled oil to light the lamps. They finally found a small jar of oil that should have lasted only one evening. Miraculously, this small amount of oil kept the temple lights burning, not for one night, but for all the eight nights until new oil fit for use in the temple could be obtained. This is the miracle commemorated by the lighting of the Hanukkah lights.
A crèche and menorah are, therefore, true symbols of Christian and Jewish observances of these individual holidays and are the ones that should be used. There is nothing wrong with also putting up Christmas tree and Santa Claus displays.
However, they should not represent the real meaning of the Christmas holiday alongside the symbol of another religious faith. You cannot use one without using the other.
It is my hope that officials and business owners have the conviction to do what is right and respect the true religious meaning of these holidays. May Christians and Jews throughout our community enjoy a peaceful and prosperous holiday season.
Tom Cosentino
President
St. Clement
Holy Name Society
Morganville, Marlboro