FAIRFIELD -- Pouring rain failed to dampen the spirts of a small group of families huddled on the Sherman Green gazebo to light a menorah on the third night of Hanukkah Sunday.
Neither did three masked men, who carrying Nazi flags and shouting obscenities, tried to disrupt the ceremony until they fled when police arrived.
"I'm glad I was there," said Fairfield First Selectman Kenneth Flatto.
So was Rabbi Shlame Landa who staged the ceremony for Chabad of Fairfield.
"It's important to see we don't back down from spreading goodness and light," said Landa.
The men, dressed in black, showed up just as the ceremony was beginning, stayed on the sidewalk about 20 yards from the gazebo. Each carried a flag held in outstretched arms. One flag bore a swastika, another an iron cross.
From his vantage point, Flatto said he could hear obscenities, but never felt threatened. He did, however, call police.
In the interim, a number of passers-by not involved in the ceremony started yelling at the masked men. Some waved at the menorah lighters. A few joined in the ceremony. When police showed up, the men left in a car headed west on the Post Road with police trailing behind them. It is unclear if the men were stopped by police.
Flatto said he came to the ceremony to show his support. He said it was important to acknowledge and celebrate as many religions and ethnicities as possible.
"These people came to try and mar a ceremony," he said of the masked men. "They did not succeed. Everyone there pretty much ignored that and focused on what is good about the holiday ... a celebration of the festival of lights."
Read more at Connecticut Post
Pretty sad that this should be happening at the dawn of the 21st century. It just accentuates the fact that we need to be vigilant against bigots such as these and make sure they never ever succeed in scaring anyone into not celebrating their religious holidays.
Posted by: Rachel Schwartz, Danbury, CT | December 15, 2009 at 07:00 AM
Babushka - "assholes" is fitting, but I may have been tempted to go with something even stronger; of course, it would have been NSFW or kiddies.
Posted by: Reine | December 15, 2009 at 11:05 PM
Chabad are racist people. Extremely so. Bigotry and hatred is something Jewish people hold in their hearts as well.
Posted by: Jackie G. | December 15, 2009 at 11:31 PM
Followed the link here from Stormfront, did you Jackie?
Posted by: Vicious Babushka | December 15, 2009 at 11:38 PM
Chabad are "racists"?!?!?!?!?!? Jackie, you'd better change who you get your weed from, 'cause you're obviously smoking the cheap stuff and it addled your brain!
Posted by: Convert from ECUSA | December 17, 2009 at 10:22 AM