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A back-and-forth between a rabbi and the organizer of a local arts and culture festival in Williamsburg, Virginia over a proposed menorah lighting spilled into public view over the weekend, igniting accusations of antisemitism after the organizer expressed hesitation that staging the ceremony would be seen as taking a stance on the Israel–Hamas war.
Rabbi Mendy Heber of Chabad Williamsburg’s exchange with Shirley Vermillion, the founder of the monthly festival, had left him feeling like he’d been delivered a “kick in the gut,” he told the Virginia Gazette.
He’d approached her with the idea to host a 30-minute lighting ceremony on Dec. 10, the next time the festival—which, every month from March to December, plays host to more than 150 artisans, performers, and food vendors—will be held. But Vermillion turned him down.