Recreation agency located in Chicago Western Suburb of 140,000+ adds menorah to its downtown seasonal display

The Naperville Park District accepted the gift of a menorah, from Chabad Jewish Center of Naperville. The menorah will be placed near the holiday tree in the Dandelion Fountain on the Naperville Riverwalk as part of the District’s seasonal display. End Quote

Chicago, IL (1888PressRelease) December 12, 2009 - On Thursday, December 10, the Naperville Park District Board accepted the gift of a menorah, from Chabad Jewish Center of Naperville. The menorah will be placed near the holiday tree in the Dandelion Fountain on the Riverwalk and made a part of the District’s seasonal display.

In late November, Chabad Naperville requested that they be permitted to install a menorah on the Riverwalk. In accordance with its Ordinance 641 prohibiting the installation of any symbol on the Riverwalk by any private persons or entities, the Park District denied Chabad’s request. One purpose of Ordinance 641 is to safeguard the Riverwalk from becoming a “public forum” that would open up the Riverwalk to demonstrations and displays on any and all of the wide spectrum of issues of interest in our community today—something that would dramatically alter the nature of the Riverwalk experience. The restriction against such private displays is content neutral and thus the original denial of the request from Chabad Naperville is not about the menorah or what it represents.

Mike Reilly, President of the Board of Park Commissioners, stated: “The Park District has, for several years, sponsored the ‘Santa House’ on the Riverwalk as part of a program originally begun with the Downtown Naperville Alliance. Like the holiday tree placed by the District in the Dandelion Fountain, the Santa House is a cultural symbol of the season that adds to the overall atmosphere of downtown Naperville. In that same spirit, we are pleased to now have the opportunity to add the menorah to the seasonal display. We thank the Chabad organization for this gift to the community.”

The menorah will be installed by Naperville Park District parks staff as expeditiously as possible with hopes of having it ready for the start of Hanukkah out of respect for the menorah’s association with that seasonal holiday celebration.

For more information on the Naperville Park District and its programs, please visit www.napervilleparks.org.

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