A Williamsburg music and arts festival denied it ever scheduled a menorah lighting to celebrate Hanukkah after Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) condemned the group’s purported decision to cancel it amid Israel’s defensive war against Hamas.
News broke on Sunday that the 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival in Williamsburg canceled a menorah lighting scheduled for its Sunday event, with The Virginia Gazette reporting that festival founder Shirley Vermillion “said 2nd Sundays are inclusive to different religions and cultures,” and reported that Vermillion stated the menorah lighting “seemed very inappropriate” due to what the outlet called “current events in Israel and Gaza.”
Youngkin wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the decision to cancel the Hanukkah celebration was “absurd and antisemitic,” noting that it was “singling out the Jewish community.” Youngkin declared the event’s “organizers should immediately reconsider their actions and move forward with the menorah lighting.”
Singling out the Jewish community by canceling this Hanukkah celebration is absurd and antisemitic.
The event organizers should immediately reconsider their actions and move forward with the menorah lighting. https://t.co/smc7P3xgoX
— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) December 4, 2023
The condemnation from Youngkin comes as the governor has increased his support for Israel following the October 7 unprovoked attack on Israel by Hamas and amid conflicting claims about the circumstances by which the Hanukkah celebration was disallowed.
While The Gazette reported that Vermillion claimed the festival’s board wanted to avoid “religious affiliations” and that previous requests by other religious groups were similarly refused, the outlet also reported that Jewish leaders claimed festival organizers told them “the event would appear to choose sides in the conflict, and the organization would reschedule the celebration if it were held under a ‘ceasefire’ banner.”
“Giving American Jews a political litmus test is just discriminatory, ugly and un-American,” Rabbi Mendy Heber of Chabad Williamsburg told the outlet, adding that the decision to cancel the event comes as “Jews are facing a tremendous amount of antisemitism.”
Despite seemingly acknowledging the decision to cancel the menorah lighting on Sunday, festival organizers later disputed whether the Hanukkah celebration was formally scheduled. Heber claimed they began planning for the menorah lighting after festival organizers “showed extreme interest and excitement” when approached by Chabad Williamsburg.
The outlet reported that Chabad Williamsburg was able to relocate its menorah lighting to the Sunken Garden at the College of William & Mary.
Youngkin is expected to attend the Hanukkah celebration hosted by Chabad of Loudoun County on December 10.
Following the October 7 terrorist attacks, Youngkin condemned pro-Hamas demonstrations at Virginia colleges and universities, telling Fox News he questions “what’s being taught on these campuses,” remarking that Virginia has “students that don’t fully understand the brutality of a terrorist group.”
“Hamas is a terrorist group, and they committed a terrorist act, and they killed women and children,” Youngkin said in October, declaring “we have to condemn it.”
The governor also ended his relationship with the Eventbrite app after the company dumped a speaking engagement by swimmer and gender theory critic Riley Gaines while simultaneously promoting events supporting Hamas.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “2nd Sundays Williamsburg – Art & Music Festivals Event” by 2nd Sundays Williamsburg – Art & Music Festivals.
