London council axes Jewish menorah installation to avoid  'community tensions.' Swift backlash proves correctional.

A London council announced Thursday it was axing the planned installation of a Hanukkah menorah outside the town hall for fear of "inflaming tensions" within the community, making explicit reference to Middle Eastern "tensions."

The Havering Council's apparent act of "surrender" did not sit well with residents, lawmakers, and anti-Semitism watchdogs, some of whom underscored that it was more important than ever to stand with the Jewish community and protect religious freedoms.

The overwhelming backlash has proven illuminating.

The decision

The Havering Council, responsible for a densely populated area in London that's home to over 260,000, noted in a statement Thursday that it had "taken the difficult decision to pause the planned installation of the Chanukah Menorah outside Havering Town Hall this year."

"We appreciate this is a hugely sensitive issue but in light of escalating tensions from the conflict in the Middle East, installing the candelabra now will not be without risk to the Council, our partners, staff and local residents," they wrote.

Following the savage massacre of thousands of Israeli civilians by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, hundreds of thousands of anti-Israeli protesters have marched through the streets of London.

There have been reports of explicit signs of support for Hamas at some of the London demonstrations beyond the usual chants calling for the elimination of the Jewish homeland.

The Guardian indicated that between Oct. 7 and early November, there were over 1,000 hate incidents recorded, including dozens of assaults. The wave of anti-Semitism amounted to a 537% increase in incidents over the same period in 2022, according to Community Security Trust data.

"Due to an increase in the number of hate crimes in Havering, both towards the Jewish and Muslim community, and after consulting with the Leader of the Council, we believe it would be unwise to move forward with the installation, which could risk further inflaming tensions within our communities," said the council.

While apparently unwilling to celebrate the festival of light Dec. 7-15 as planned, the council reassured residents it would permit a temporary installation to celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah — an installation that would be taken down as soon as the event was over.

Ostensibly pre-empting accusations of anti-Semitism, the council stressed it had flown the Israeli flag "in solidarity following the heinous terrorist attack against the people of Israel and we continue to stand by our local Jewish communities."

The council concluded by suggesting it would revisit the matter next year "when we hope that community tensions will have subsided."

The backlash

In the wake of the announcement indicating the council would refrain from lighting Hanukkah candles this year, Romford Rabbi Lee Sunderland told the Havering Daily, "Having been given the go ahead to bring this to Havering[,] the councillor who has the final say ... is now actively putting a stumbling block in the way to severely curtail if not ban or ruin it."

"How can any minority trust that this is not a broken promise to over 60% of Havering residents?" said Rabbi Sunderland. "It is now easy to muddy the waters by trying to mix religion and politics and assume that the one borough that has given the most support to the Jewish community since October 7, will now turn against it."

The rabbi indicated that the installation and corresponding festivities would have presented the area with "an opportunity to stand up to the hostility that would silence Judaism or any form of diversity and celebrate it to its fullest."

British filmmaker Tony Klinger asked whether other religions would similarly have their public celebrations curtailed.

"Is it just our Jewish community who are at risk?" said Klinger. "There is a name for this – anti-Semitism."

LBC reported that Conservative parliamentarian Andrew Rosindell voiced "grave concern" over the council's change of plans and noted that the cancellation "would be a grave insult to the Jewish community."

"Fundamentally this is a matter of religious freedom, and has nothing to do with current affairs in the Middle East," said Rosindell. "The only Jewish state in the world is suffering under the thumb of terror whilst the British Jewish community is fearful of a rise in antisemitism."

Gary Mond, chairman of the National Jewish Assembly, told the Jerusalem Post, "Havering Council's decision to cancel the installation of a Chanukah memorial constitutes nothing less than a surrender to those forces who preach intolerance and the refusal to accept the diverse nature of British society."

The reversal

In the face of considerable backlash, the council met with the London Jewish Forum, the Essex Jewish Community Council, and local rabbis early Friday to discuss the matter, concluding it would "proceed with the permanent installation of the Menorah as originally planned" and light it on Dec. 12.

The leader of the council, Ray Morgon, said, "We had a very constructive meeting to discuss our concerns and I fully appreciate why this is such an important installation for our Jewish community."

"The Essex Jewish community has proudly been displaying Menorahs for 35 years and this is our tenth and newest," said Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin. "We look forward to celebrating together with the entire Jewish community of Havering and beyond at our very special celebration on Tuesday 12 December."

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