For some, the symbols of Hanukkah are causing additional concerns this year

For years, a menorah stood next to the Christmas tree at the county courthouse in Missoula, Mont. This year, a local rabbi asked officials to also set up a Hanukkah display on the courthouse lawn to show support for the community’s small Jewish population.

The request sparked a passionate public debate — a debate that has played out in a handful of other places around the country as the war between Israel and Hamas has stoked tensions and raised concerns among some Jews about visible expressions of their religion in a time of discord and disagreement. increasing anti-Semitism.

“At this particular historical moment,” said Josh Slotnick, a Jewish county commissioner in Missoula, said a large outdoor menorah “could be wrongly viewed as a political symbol, not a religious symbol.”

Across the country, most public celebrations of Hanukkah, the eight-night Jewish holiday that begins at sunset Thursday, appear to be going ahead without disruption, according to the Jewish Federations of North America, which works with Jewish event organizers in the United States.

In Detroit, “we have more registrations this year than in previous years,” said Benji Rosenzweig, an annual producer menorah lighting ceremony. Police forces in the city have said they will keep a close eye on it possible threats.

Security Community Network, a nonprofit that advises Jewish institutions, responded to questions about the safety of Hanukkah celebrations with a video briefing That encouraged people Tuesday to keep going, but also to prepare for possible demonstrations and stay in contact with local law enforcement.

“We take security very seriously,” said Eric Fingerhut, the president of the Jewish Federations, which organized the security network after September 11 and has seen it expand rapidly since the killing of 11 Jewish worshipers in Pittsburgh in 2018. “But the purpose of the security is to enable us to continue to actively participate in Jewish life.”

A small number of Hanukkah-related events have drawn additional attention or controversy this year, including in Williamsburg, Virginia, where organizers of a community festival decided not to include a menorah lighting, prompting condemnation from the state’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin .

“Singling out the Jewish community by canceling this Hanukkah celebration is absurd and anti-Semitic.” he posted on social media.

A festival organizer did not respond to requests for comment, but told other news media that the festival had always welcomed Jewish participants and that a menorah lighting had never taken place.

Rabbi Mendy Heber of Chabad Williamsburg, who requested the ceremony, described the decision as “a kick in the gut.” But he noted that relief would still take place at William & Mary, a university in Williamsburg.

“We’re going to make this Hanukkah bigger and brighter than ever,” he said. “That’s how we respond to darkness.”

In some homes, however, security concerns and disagreements over the war have led Jews to question whether they felt comfortable with a public expression of their religion.

Adam Kulbersh was initially hesitant when his six-year-old son asked if they were putting up decorations. “Hanukkah feels different this year,” said Mr. Kulbersh, an actor in Los Angeles. “The huge spike in anti-Semitism has scared many of us.”

But after a non-Jewish friend volunteered to display a menorah in solidarity, Mr. Kulbersh said his fears began to dissipate. A menorah now lights the window of his apartment, and Mr. Kulbersh started an online campaign asking other non-Jews to follow his friend’s example.

He mentioned the effort Project Menorah and said people in about 20 states have volunteered.

The candlesticks that are lit on Hanukkah are technically called Chanukahs. They have eight candles plus one more, a shamash, which is used to light the others.

“The menorah represents to me personally that goodness, kindness and warmth always win in the end,” said Rabbi Chezky Vogel of the Chabad Jewish Center of Missoula, who requested the outdoor display at the county courthouse.

“There’s a lot of emotional isolation that comes with being Jewish here at a time like this,” said Rabbi Vogel, who disagreed with Mr. Slotnick, the county commissioner, who worried that some would interpret the display as political. A menorah, Rabbi Vogel said, is not about expressing support for Israel.

However, another leader of the small Jewish community urged caution. Laurie Franklin, the rabbi emerita of Har Shalom in Missoula, said the commissioners “were asked to make a decision very quickly about doing something on public property. There is a lot of nuance in that.”

Ultimately civil servants decided to leave things as they were, with a menorah in the courthouse rotunda, but not on the lawn. Rabbi Vogel said he hoped to change their minds in the future.

Rabbi Franklin said she would continue to enjoy the menorah outside her synagogue, as well as a smaller one at home.

“Jews are not a uniform community,” she said. “We don’t necessarily all have the same political views. We don’t necessarily have the same views on the conflict in Israel and Gaza. But lighting the menorah is a beautiful act of unification.”

Campbell Robertson And Emily Schmall reporting contributed. Susan Beachy research contributed.