I asked if there would be a manger scene to represent the Christian holiday. I was flat out told that the tree was a Christian symbol, and that nothing else would be added. The tree is NOT a Christian symbol.

I noticed that this year the display included a manger scene, as well as the usual Menorah.

I was happy to see both displays.

Santa Clarita has become incredibly diverse over the last 10 years. We must be steadfast and vocal in our support and representation of the growing Jewish Community (orthodox, conservative, reformed, or non-affiliated). Activity such as this may set our community back or, and this is my hope, it will propel Jews in Santa Clarita Valley to speak up and be more active: To see the importance of acknowledging and celebrating being Jewish and reach out for their own Jewish connection. To learn more about one of the Temples and groups like Hadassah Kochava available to them to meaningfully participate in their complete community.

If you require any additional information, or can provide a status of this to me accordingly, I can be reached at 661-309-3195 or via email at Kochavagroup@yahoo.com

Leah Pollack
President, Hadassah Kochava Group
Santa Clarita Valley, CA

For those people who do not understand what a Christmas Tree is:

From Wikipedia:

A christmas Tree, less commonly known as a Yule tree, is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas and Yuletide. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during the days around Christmas. An angel or star is often placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story.

The custom of erecting a Christmas tree can be traced to 16th century Germany, though neither an inventor nor a single town can be identified as the sole origin for the tradition, which was a popular merging of older traditions mentioned above; in the Cathedral of Strasbourg in 1539, the church record mentions the erection of a Christmas tree. In that period, the guilds started erecting Christmas trees in front of their guildhalls: Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann (Marburg professor of European ethnology) found a Bremen guild chronicle of 1570 which reports how a small fir was decorated with apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers, and erected in the guild-house, for the benefit of the guild members’ children, who collected the dainties on Christmas day.[5] Another early reference is from Basel, where the tailor apprentices carried around town a tree decorated with apples and cheese in 1597. During the 17th century, the custom entered family homes. One Strasbourg priest, Johann Konrad Dannerstuart, complained about the custom as distracting from the Word of God.

The main symbol of Hanukah is either a Hanukkiah (or Menorah) or a dreidel.

Debbie from Euclid told me that if anyone from the community wanted a Menorah erected, it might be in storage and it would have to be approved by the board and some would have to volunteer to put it up.

I have a big problem with funds that are paid from every single owner of a home in Stevenson Ranch going to a Christmas Tree when my holiday, a holiday celebrated by many residents of SR is not acknowledged through a symbol like a Menorah being displayed equally as the Christmas Tree. If money was spent from our HOA dues for putting up a Christmas Tree than those same funds can pay for someone to get the Menorah out of storage and put it up.

I would say that the board has two options. Either you have to have a celebration acknowledging all holidays celebrated in December or nothing.

I would suggest that someone from our HOA hire someone to put up the menorah prior to Hannukah beginning on December 21st.

I would also suggest that a small celebration be planned with press involvement to be fair to the Jewish families who also pay HOA dues.

I would also suggest that an apology be made to those families whose holiday the board choose to ignore.

It is unbelievable to me that in this day and age that there are still people out there that think that EVERYONE celebrates Christmas. It is unbelievable to me that people actually think that a “holiday” tree or Christmas tree represents Hanukah. It is also unbelievable to me that people who are on our Board who do not think of ALL the constuents that they represent. SR has one of the largest Jewish populations in the all of the Santa Clarita Valley.

I have known the Waugh family for many years. I have a hard time believing that he said “no” to requests about putting up the menorah that the HOA already owns during the “holiday” celebration. I also can not believe that when asked about why they menorah had not been put up, he replied “well, times are changing”. If Greg had really said this, it would show that he was antisemitic, an issue that would need to be brought to the immediate attention of the board. I doubt that SR wants to be known as a antisemitic community. Again, I have a hard time believing that it is possible but these are actual quotes that he said. I would like to hear his side of the story before this goes any further about why the menorah was not included in the celebration and about his comments.

Dawn Walker

alternate delegate

Thank you for taking a stand in support of our Community Menorah.

Below, please find a copy of the e-mail I sent to the Editor of the Signal last night.

It has finally happened, the city of Stevenson Ranch, in taking a cue from the fictional television show WEEDS, has now officially turned into Majestic, the religiously biased, community bent on taking over what was the beautiful town of Agrestic.

This week, the President of the Stevenson Ranch HOA, indicated that he would not include the Stevenson Ranch Community Menorah in the neighborhood’s annual holiday celebration.

A part of the community for over 10 years, this Menorah has been vandalized and repaired more than once, now it has been damaged in a way that no young thuds could accomplish.

When Greg Waugh, HOA President was informed that the Menorah had been a part of the Stevenson Ranch community holiday celebration routinely for years he smiled and said; “Well, times are changing!”

The entire community should be saddened that in our little corner of the US, times are indeed changing, and not for the good of the Country, but back to an embarrassing and humiliating time in our Country’s past.

Shame on Mr. Waugh. And to the residents of Stevenson Ranch who voted to make him their leader, it’s time for a recall election. Take a hint from our Nation’s new leadership and vote for peace and understanding, not hatred and bigotry.