Christmas Lights Strung on Cypress Near Menorah

Beverly Hills officials have strung colored lights on a Montezuma cypress to comply with a judge’s order that they either take down a Hanukkah menorah in a city park or have it displayed next to a Christmas tree.

“It certainly looks like an excellent solution to us,” said Rick Putnam, director of public services. The 45-foot-high tree is about 50 feet from the menorah, he said.

But Doug Mirell, president of the Pacific Southwest chapter of the American Jewish Congress, which filed the suit that led to the ruling by U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr., said the city’s action may not satisfy the judge’s requirement that the two objects be in “close proximity.”

“I’d like to avoid going back to court, but we’ll look at this carefully,” said Mirell, whose organization sued the city on the grounds that the 28-foot menorah across Santa Monica Boulevard from City Hall and the Beverly Hills Post Office violated the First Amendment ban on establishment of religion.