Menorah Display Controversy May End With Sweeping Ban

A seven-year controversy over the display of a 27-foot-tall menorah in a Beverly Hills park may culminate in a sweeping ban on the public display of private art in city parks.

At a City Council meeting Thursday, council members instructed City Atty. Greg Stepanicich to draft an ordinance that would forbid the overnight display of private art and other exhibits in public parks.

The council’s move came in response to a July 19 federal appeals court ruling that Beverly Hills violated the Constitution by allowing Chabad of California to annually display the 5,500-pound Hanukkah menorah in Beverly Gardens Park and refusing to grant permits to other religious groups.

On Thursday night, four of the five council members told Stepanicich to draft a policy that prohibits prolonged exhibits like the menorah, which would also mean the end of weekend art exhibits and overnight political and religious displays in all Beverly Hills parks.