Calgary Mayor Says Won’t Attend Menorah Ceremony Because It’s an Event to Support Israel

Mayor Jyoti Gondeck says the Menorah ceremony ‘has been repositioned’ as an event to support Israel.

City of Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, speaks at an announcement on plans for an events centre to replace the aging Saddledome, in Calgary, on April 25, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

Calgary’s mayor says she won’t attend the annual Menorah lighting ceremony this year because it has become a “politicized” event in support of Israel.

The move follows another development in Moncton where the city backtracked from refusing to display the Menorah and nativity scene following backlash from the Jewish community.