A Jewish community group in Virginia has slammed the organizer of a local art and music festival over its decision not to go ahead with a menorah lighting ceremony.
LoveLight Placemaking, a nonprofit which hosts the 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival in Williamsburg, declined a proposal by a community rabbi to hold the lighting ceremony at its upcoming Dec. 10 event.
It claimed in a statement the move was “based on the objectives of the organization and a sincere desire to make this monthly event a place where all people can come together to enjoy MUSIC and ART.”
However, in their own statement, United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula (UJC) said it was “shocked and dismayed” at the decision, and accused LoveLight of “not want[ing] to appear to choose sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict.”
“We should be very clear: it is antisemitic to hold Jews collectively accountable for Israel’s policies and actions, and to require a political litmus test for Jews’ participation in community events that have nothing to do with Israel.”
LoveLight Placemaking is a nonprofit that hosts the 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival in Williamsburg.The group declined a proposal by a community rabbi to hold the lighting ceremony at its upcoming Dec. 10 event. 2nd Sundays Art & Music Festival
LoveLight flatly rejected the group’s characterization of their motives, saying it’s “never held a religious program” in the 14 years the festival has operated.
“It feels very wrong to label anyone associated with this as an antisemite when the rejection of this religious programming was entirely consistent with our decision to keep our gathering focused on art, rather than religious ceremonies.”
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LoveLight also cited logistical concerns in allowing the menorah lighting to take place, claiming Rabbi Mendy Heber had also asked to include a firetruck geld drop, where chocolate coins are dropped from a height, in an area of the festival that “has to be kept open at all times for entering & exiting traffic.”
UJC claimed that LoveLight “appallingly” offered to reinstate the lighting ceremony under the condition it was done “under a banner calling for a ceasefire,” a charge LoveLight did not address in its statement.
United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula (UJC) said it was “shocked and dismayed” at the decision. Getty Images/iStockphoto
A message sent to 2nd Sundays through a web form seeking verification of UJC’s assertion was not immediately returned.
“Since October 7th, we have repeatedly seen cases of Jewish people and institutions – including synagogues, Jewish homes and businesses – being targeted, sometimes violently, by those opposed to Israel or its actions,” UJC wrote.
“At a time of well-documented, rising antisemitism, the singling out and targeting of Jews is dangerous and harmful, serving to further exclude and alienate our community.”
In the conclusion of its statement, the group called for LoveLight to “engage in dialogue, educate themselves on the harmfulness of their decision, and reinstate the apolitical Menorah ceremony at the event.”
Williamsburg is a small town of about 15,500 residents located about 50 miles southeast of Richmond.
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