An art and music festival in Williamsburg, Virginia canceled a Hanukkah event due to concerns about appearing to take sides in the Israel-Hamas war.
Event coordinator, Shirley Vermillion, cited the ongoing war and logistical reasons for the cancellation, and denied requests for other religious ceremonies.
The United Jewish Community condemned the cancellation as antisemitic and claimed the event had nothing to do with the conflict. (Trending: Olympic Gold Medalist Sentenced For Jan 6)
“The concern is of folks feeling like we are siding with a group over the other … not a direction we ever decide to head,” said Shirley Vermillion.
The United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula (UJCVP) responded, “To be clear, the menorah lighting, which was to be led by a local community rabbi, had nothing to do with Israel or the conflict.”
“Yet, appallingly, the event organizer claimed that a Chanukah celebration would send a message that the festival was ‘supporting the killing/bombing of thousands of men, women, and children,’ – and even went a step further, by offering to reinstate the event if it was done under a banner calling for a ceasefire,” wrote the organization.
“We should be very clear: it is antisemitic to hold Jews collectively responsible 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,” continued the statement.
Adding, “Those standards would never be applied to another community.”
Israel declared war on Hamas after a deadly attack, and the festival organizers did not respond to requests for comment.
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