One Christmas past when I was a trustee, a young female resident with two children addressed the board of trustees about our Christmas display. She spoke of her observation of Christmas displays of other municipalities and their multiple religious symbols. She said Garden City was unique in its single religious symbol of the créche. She expressed her family’s concern that the display did not reflect the diversity of our religious faiths. She questioned whey we did not display a menorah. We had no answer for her.
The following year, I requested the board to place a menorah on our village green, but the board rejected my request.
Years have passed, but that mother’s message stayed with me. On Nov. 19, I wrote the mayor and the board reminding them of the mother’s message and renewed my prior request. Again, I was rejected.
Garden City is the only municipality, to my knowledge, that displays a single religious symbol. Its message, wittingly or unwittingly, is that we are a solely Christian community. But Jesus’ message of forgiveness, love and hope was for all, Jews and gentiles alike.
Symbols convey meaning. In that mother’s eyes and mine, the village’s only religious symbol does not represent the diversity of our religious faiths.
Thomas M. Lamberti
