Lighting the holiday spirit

By Robert Channick
Special to the Tribune

December 13, 2004

After pulling the plug on holiday decorations last year, Glenview Village President Larry Carlson wasn't about to be deterred by brisk winds Sunday evening.

It took four people, two step ladders, a highway signal flare and nearly 30 minutes, but he finally succeeded in lighting an 8-foot menorah in front of Village Hall, Glenview's first officially approved seasonal display in two decades.

"It was tough," said Trustee Jeff Lerner, who helped light the candles and pass an ordinance two months ago reversing a long-standing policy against religious symbols on village property.

The ceremony not only marked the sixth night of Hanukkah but also the end of a 20-year prohibition of holiday decorations on village property, a policy that set off a controversy last year at a Glenview fire station.

Carlson told firefighters last December to remove an outdoor Santa Claus, Christmas tree and a string of icicle lights along the roof.

The decorations were taken indoors but remained visible from the street until the village banished Santa to cold storage.

"It was a very, very difficult decision," Carlson said. "It's the holiday season, and everybody respects firefighters. You don't want to do something like that."

The holidays weren't any brighter for Rabbi Yishaya Benjaminson of Lubavitch Chabad of Glenview, a Jewish group that was denied permission last year to erect a large menorah on village property at Lake Avenue and Waukegan Road.

This season, officials had a change of heart.

"It was a matter of us realizing that the law might have changed over those 20 years, and we didn't want to seem like we were being the Scrooge," Carlson said.

In October, armed with a 16-page memorandum and newfound expertise on everything from creches to reindeer, the Village Board voted 4-1 to allow private holiday displays on a designated public space.

The resolution permits groups or individuals to erect displays on a 24-by-24-foot area in front of Village Hall, 1225 Waukegan Rd., from Nov. 15 to Jan. 7.

Applicants, who must be approved by village review, are required to supply material, labor, proof of insurance and a sign claiming sponsorship.

In return, the village provides the lawn space, an electrical outlet and a sign disowning the content of the displays.

So far, there have been two.

On Nov. 16, Benjaminson installed the aluminum menorah.

Lubavitch Chabad has similar displays in Skokie, Wilmette, Evanston, Naperville, Niles, Northbrook, Kenilworth and Daley Plaza in Chicago, with other communities such as Gurnee considering it. Hanukkah falls between Dec. 7 and 14 this year.

"We asked the village to help publicize our diversity," said Benjaminson, who moved to Glenview last year as an emissary of the Brooklyn-based Jewish movement responsible for more than 1,000 menorah displays nationwide. "People should be proud of who they are."

On Dec. 4, the menorah was joined by a 7-foot artificial Christmas tree put up by Edward and Mary-Jean Detwiler of Glenview.

"It was basically kind of a last-minute thing back in November," said Edward Detwiler, 58, who runs a high-tech appraisal business in Palatine. "We're Christian and figured that it was a good idea to do it."

The Detwilers spent about $100 and an hour stringing up tinsel and lights, topping the tree with a red angel.

The village also said its five fire stations may create holiday displays. The station at 831 E. Lake Ave. has the only outdoor display, with white lights strung along the roof and on a bush. All stations except the one at the center of last year's controversy have a Christmas tree inside.

"It's up to the firefighters if they want to bring some decorations and lighting on their own, in front of their respective stations," said Fire Chief Daniel Bonkowski.

At Sunday's lighting of the menorah, nearly 100 people braved the wind to participate.

"It's really nice to see a Hanukkah display for the first time since I've lived here," said longtime resident Deanna Jacobson, 39. "That's why we came and froze our toes."

"I feel that everyone should be able to display their faith publicly," said Miriam Dulin, 61.