“What happened in Stonnington Council was a slap in the face of the Jewish community,” said Dr. Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Melbourne-based Anti-Defamation Commission.
The Stonnington City Council in Australia has delayed approval for a public menorah just weeks before the start of Chanukah, drawing sharp criticism from Jewish community leaders and residents.
At a heated meeting on Monday, the council voted to defer a motion to install a large public menorah (chanukiyah), meaning it will not be erected in time for the Jewish holiday, which begins on Dec. 14. Stonnington, a municipality which is part of greater Melbourne, is home to almost 5,000 Jews, the second-largest Jewish population in the state of Victoria.
The proposal to install the menorah, put forward by Councillor Tom Humphries and supported by more than 130 community submissions, descended into chaos when Councillor Steve Stefanopoulos moved to defer the motion. The council split 4–4 on the vote, with Mayor Melina Sehr using her casting vote to delay the installation.
Following the vote, the chamber erupted into shouting, with Humphries accusing Stefanopoulos of antisemitism, describing the deferral as a “ploy to shut it down.”
Members of the Jewish community who attended in support of the menorah were left visibly distressed by the proceedings. According to a statement by Council Watch, cries of “antisemitism is alive and well” rang out as frustrated residents walked out of the chamber in disbelief.
Dean Hurlston of Council Watch told JNS that the events were deeply troubling. “What has been reported is shocking. The Jewish community has deep and sustained generational trauma that requires compassion and understanding. Last night was an affront to any form of healing and inclusion. For many, it will retraumatize that trauma. This is a deeply sad situation.”
Dr. Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Melbourne-based Anti-Defamation Commission, issued a strongly worded condemnation.
“What happened in Stonnington Council was a slap in the face of the Jewish community,” Abramovich said. “A simple, fully funded menorah for Chanukah should have been an easy gesture of welcome. Instead, it collapsed into shouting, accusations, and a deferral that everyone in the room understood meant one thing: it won’t happen in time.”
He added that the episode sent a painful message at a moment of heightened vulnerability for Australian Jews.
“This wasn’t about a menorah. It was about a community asking, once again, whether they truly belong. Stonnington Council failed them,” he said. “And now the damage must be named and repaired.”