From the article: "by KATIE BENOIT, NBC 10 NEWS Sunday, December 18th 2022

One local Jewish group is asking community members to color this menorah and hang it in their windows to show support during Hanukkah.

The state of Rhode Island celebrated the first night of Hanukkah Sunday.

"Each night we had an additional light every night and it reminds us even in the darkest moments you start with one light and it can banish a lot of darkness," said Rabbi Michael Fel.

One local Jewish group is asking community members hang this menorah their windows to show support during Hanukkah. (WJAR)

The holiday comes amidst a rise of anti-Semitism in the state.

"Its a little scary for our community right now, we are seeing a pretty big rise," said Adam Greenman, CEO at Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. "There are folks that speak with me and share they are concerned to go to synagogue. They are concerned to share they are Jewish in certain places."

Warwick police say more than 200 "racially charged" messages were dropped in residents' yards in one area of the city in November.

Just last month hundreds of "racially charged fliers' were discovered in Warwick and North Providence.

A Tiverton restaurant was also criticized for posting a meme of Holocaust victim Anne Frank.

To combat anti-Semitism, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island is asking people of all religions to color a menorah and put it in their window during the festival.

To print out the menorah, visit the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island's website."

We have a lovely little battery operated light up menorah. Happy Chanukah, everyone!

Just like all the 🇺🇦 everywhere?

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Thanks for the anti-Semitic comment.

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By Nazi POS I'm talking about the white supremacists who passed pamphlets around neighborhoods in Warwick, check the context of my statement.

I'm not even going to debate the merit of using the term genocidal with someone so obviously lacking in reading comprehension skills and so prone to knee jerk reactions and slinging insults.

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> Fuck those Nazi POS and their pamphlets too, bunch of hateful cowards.

You know, you could just comment only this part, or at the very least, lead with it.

Whether you're right or not about that other stuff doesn't change the fact that you're proselytizing in the wrong forum. Showing support for the OP or not is your choice, of course, but if you want to talk about all the other content you're talking about here, there are other places where it would be much more appropriate less inappropriate to do so.

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Knee jerk reactions? Jews asked to color in a little menorah and for people to put it in their windows for solidarity and you went into convulsions bitching about Jews.

>I'm not even going to debate the merit of using the term genocidal

You can't justify your using the term, because it's just a lie.

Believing that Jewish people and the Zionist state of Israel are the same is not only insane, but willfully ignorant. The nation of Israel has crimes that they must answer for, but the people who follow Judaism, especially those that are your neighbors in Rhode Island have nothing to do with it.

If you hate religion, that’s fine. You can choose to not support your neighbors during times of heightens extremism and hatred towards Jews. However, your ignorant comment was both unwarranted and hateful. You should feel ashamed of yourself. Have a happy Holiday.

No, he couldn't, because for Reddit atheists to condemn Nazis they have to go through a ritual where they talk about Jews being awful and how it'd be better if they didn't exist since organized religion is evil.

>there are other places where it would be much more appropriate to do so.

Ah, yes, polite society requires antisemitism be done in the appropriate places.

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Imagine caring so little about white supremacists targeting an ethnic minority that you type a paragraph ranting about Jews and how you'll never support them despite what white supremacists do to Jews.

The problem is the existence of supporting Jews was brought up during a very heightened time of antisemitic violence and you started screeching about Israel. That's antisemitic. The animosity towards Jews in your comment is palpable.

supporting organized religion and supporting Jewish people as a marginalized group have nothing to do with eachother. Christopher Hitchens called he wants his neckbeard back.

You realize that it’s not just an “organized religion”, it’s an ethnicity, right? Your comment is short sighted, ignorant, and absolutely tasteless with current events. Happy Chanukah 🕎

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Impact4 is withholding support for ALL religions for very valid reasons.

You are blatantly misrepresenting the post since the poster is condemning Nazis.

Antisemitism is one thing; atheism is another.

One can be an atheist without being an antisemite. Have you ever heard of Jerry Coyne? He is Jewish but also a very vocal atheist.

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Removed: Please remember to keep it civil. You can make you point without calling people idiots and telling them to 'cry more'.

The commenter is actively denying apartheid and human rights abuses but yeah I guess “idiot” really does it. The comment thread in a nutshell.

I am hesitant to join in this loaded thread, but isn't the menorah a religious Jewish symbol, not an ethnic Jewish symbol?

I wish you remained hesitant. Don’t let my emoji selection take away from the point.

Edit: if you mean showcasing the menorah on Chanukah, I don’t understand. It’s Chanukah. You don’t need to be Jewish to put a menorah in your window. You don’t need to be Christian to be a Christmas tree in your home.

Your Post was removed because it doesn't allow for an on-going conversation.

Your Post was removed because it violates this sub's rule on civility.

Your Post was removed because it violates rule 2: Civility. Personal insults will not be tolerated.

Your Post was removed because it violates rule 2: Civility. Personal insults will not be tolerated in this sub.

Your Post was removed because it violates rule 2: Civility. Personal insults will not be tolerated in this sub. You can make your point without calling people names.

Your Comment / Post was removed because it violates rule 1, This is a subreddit focused on Rhode Island. Please keep posts relevant to Rhode Islanders. Posting or seeking any identifying personal information will result in an immediate ban. No exceptions.

>I wish you remained hesitant.

Wait why? Am I not supposed to try to learn new things here?

You’re not trying to learn new things. You’re trying to be combative and difficult. Tis the season.

...do you have me confused for someone else? My only participation here was to ask about the religious vs. ethnic symbolism of a menorah when you jumped down my throat.

> You’re trying to be combative and difficult.

Ironic, coming from the person deriding me for asking a question.

All the “removed” comments

Welcome to Reddit y’all

Sorry, but saying you'll never show solidarity with Jews no matter what kind of persecution we receive is just a shitty thing to say. They said that, plain and simple, and we're being targeted. It isn't "valid" to go screech about Israel when American Jews are being discussed. If I started screeching about a Muslim country and saying I'll never support Muslims when American Muslims ask for support, that'd be just wrong of me.

>You are blatantly misrepresenting the post since the poster is condemning Nazis.

They condemned them for their white supremacy, and I doubt this person is educated enough to understand that white supremacists target and murder Jews. In context of what they said, "I'll never show support for Jews", I have no reason to believe that they were condemning Nazis for their antisemitism. Context matters.

The moderator removed the other poster’s comment, which complicates much of our exchange. I’ll try to address your points below.

I agree that context matters. The poster did state they will not support ANY religion. They described some of the negative consequences of a few well-known religions, which were global examples that included Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The big three so to speak. Your reply amounts to limiting the discussion to the US. There is no good reason to only consider this country while listing why someone does not support religion.

Now, what complicates any discussion about this topic is ambiguity. I will assume you understand the term Jew can apply to a member of the Jewish faith and/or an ethnic Jew (who might be secular and/or atheist or of another faith such as Buddhism).

I can only speak for myself here. I condemn all acts of discrimination. I condemn the recent propaganda against Jews (religious and secular).

Your second paragraph comes off as a personal attack more than anything. Do you know that person? I don’t. I didn’t find the post evidence of an uneducated person. But, I admit I only read one or two posts. Did you read more? I wonder on what grounds you make your claim.

I was wondering right there with you, in what I was able to identify as a clearly honest interest in learning.

I guess I know that being consistently targeted will jade a person, so I understand why they might not have seen the same good-faith interest in your comment that I did, at least not right away... but their quick and confident condemnation of your participation, even after you expressed that you weren't being combative, still left a nasty taste in my mouth.

Yeah I am still really baffled by that reaction.

In any case, don't take it personally. It definitely wasn't because of anything you yourself have done or said.

I am a Jew and Zionist. I find your comment offensive. With friends like you, who needs enemies?

"Interestingly, even in the United States, where religious freedom is touted as one of the proudest achievements, the concept of she’at ha-d’khak [a time of danger] has been tested, though not in the traditional manner of taking Hanukkah displays inside during times of danger. One modern example: In Billings, Montana, in 1993, a small boy placed a Hanukkah decoration in his bedroom window, only to have it destroyed when a rock shattered the window. In reaction to what was likely vandalism by members of an Aryan group, a campaign was started to have both Jews and non-Jews (the clear majority in Billings) decorate their windows with a hanukkiyah [Hanukkah lamp, also known as a menorah] or with a picture of one. Ten thousand people joined in this campaign, and while several windows were still smashed, this town became quite an inspiration to many who appreciated its courage in the face of religious hatred and intolerance."

From: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/public-displays-of-hanukkiyot/

Really cool story!!

That said, I'm not sure what it has to do with my and the other user's earnestly wondering about whether the menorah is either an ethnic or religious Jewish symbol (or both)

I hope the source I shared with you provides a good start to answering your question.

Thanks - I didn't initially follow the link, and only read the blurb you quoted in the comment. I think I now understand a little better the history of the practice, at least!

I just saw your comment...that is exactly what I was hoping to learn about, especially here:

> The court ruled against the crèche but allowed the displaying of a hanukkiyah along with a Christmas tree, since the court perceived these to be secular symbols of religious holidays and therefore not an endorsement of any particular religious belief.

I didn't realize that the hanukkiyah was just as secularized as a christmas tree; thank you!