Calgary Mayor Says Won’t Attend Menorah Ceremony Because It’s 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.

Mayor Jyoti Gondeck announced her decision not to attend the Calgary event in a social media post on Dec. 6.

“On the eve of a beloved Calgary tradition, the annual Menorah lighting at City Hall, I have learned that the event has been repositioned to be political. This breaks my heart,” Ms. Gondeck said. “It is with great regret and sadness that I will not be attending.”

“It has come to my attention late in the day that tomorrow’s community Menorah lighting at City Hall—something I have looked forward to attending over the years—has been repositioned as an event to support Israel,” the statement said. “This last minute change goes against the original intention and has left me feeling let down by leadership.”

Ms. Gondeck said the change made it “impossible” for her to attend the event because, as mayor, her role is to attend only “diverse and inclusive” events.

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“When a celebration of community is turned into something with political intentions, it goes against the mission to uphold diversity and inclusivity,” she said, adding that the change “creates a divide and forces people to choose a side.”

The mayor said it was possible to “condemn acts of violence and war” without choosing sides.

“My heart remains with Jewish and Palestinian Calgarians who continue to mourn the loss of loved ones,” she said.

Along with the statement, she posted a promotional poster of the event, which said “Unity. Supporting Israel. Jewish Pride.”

Mayor Criticized

Several MPs responded to the decision on social media, calling on the mayor to reconsider her decision.

Liberal MP for Mount Royal, Que. Anthony Housefather said the Jewish community needed her support.

“Hanukkah is a holiday which celebrates events that happened in Israel. Your local Jewish community which is fighting a horrible wave of antisemitism needs to see you there,” he posted on X. “You are sending a horrible message by not attending. Please reconsider.”

Mr. Housefather was born in Montreal to a Jewish family and has been an advocate for the Israeli community, according to B'nai Brith Canada, a Jewish Human Rights Organization.

Conservative MP for Thornhill, Ont., Melissa Lantsman, said the mayor showed “moral cowardice” in the decision.

“Wait until she learns the story of #Chanukah,” she posted on X. “May the lights of the Menorah in Calgary triumph over the darkness of the moral cowardice of its mayor.”

According to Britannica, Hanukkah (Chanukah) marks the first Menorah lighting after the Jews reclaimed the temple from the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Menorah lighting is central to the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah.

Calgary Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said Ms. Gondeck’s decision could put the Jewish community in danger.

“This message will likely serve to validate and potentially perpetuate anti-Semitic behaviour in our city,” she posted on X. “It must be immediately reconsidered out of concern for our pluralism and safety of the Calgary Jewish community.”

Shuv Majumdar, Conservative MP from Calgary, said on X that the city’s Jewish community needed support from its leaders.

“This decision comes at a moment when Calgary’s Jewish community needs the support of all their elected leaders,” he added. “They deserve better from the mayor.”

Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) associate director Zehavi Zynoberg called the decision “beyond shameful.”

“This should not be a statement made by anyone let alone the mayor of the largest city in Alberta,” he posted on social media.

Conservative Manitoba MP Marty Morantz also condemned the decision.

“The Calgary Jewish community is reeling from the worst wave of antisemitism since the Holocaust and deserves a Mayor who will stand with them,” he posted. “The attack on civilians on Oct. 7 was an attack on all of us.”

Menorah Cancellations

The mayor’s decision follows similar moves in other parts of North America.

On Dec. 1, the president of the Jewish community in Moncton, NB, said the city had informed him they would not be allowing the Menorah display this year.

It was the first time the Jewish symbol would not be permitted at city hall since the tradition began 20 years ago.

“It is unfair because, while banning the Jewish Menorah, the Christmas tree and the angels that are on City Hall ground will remain. The Jewish Community is happy that the tree and the angels remain, but so should the Menorah,” the president said.

In an email statement provided to The Epoch Times, Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold said that the city “acted too quickly.” The decision was reversed three days later, and the city said the Menorah and other religious symbols would be on display “immediately.”

“The City wanted to be more inclusive toward our community by repositioning these faith symbols; however, we obviously fell short in this transition,” Ms. Arnold said in a news release. “We apologize if our actions showed a lack of support toward any members of our community.”

A Menorah lighting ceremony was also cancelled in Williamsburg, Virginia, a decision that was criticized by several state leaders, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

The ceremony was initially proposed to be part of a local music and art event, however, the organizers of that event told local media that the lighting  did not belong at a “non-religious, community art and music festival.”

“This is not a discriminatory act but one based on the objectives of the organization and the sincere desire to make this monthly event a place where all people can come together to enjoy music and art,” organizers said.

The Calgary Menorah lighting ceremony is in its 35th year and is scheduled to take place on Dec. 7 in front of City Hall at 5:30 p.m. local time.

Isaac Teo and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.