Lawsuit Over Menorah Was Never Threatened, Resident Says: Report

LAKEWOOD, NJ -- A woman who has been vilified over the removal of a Menorah from Lakewood’s town square says she only asked for a nativity scene and never threatened to sue, according to a report.

The Asbury Park Press report quotes Vivian Knight, a Lakewood resident, as saying all she sought was to have the nativity scene added to the town’s display, and insists she never demanded the removal of the Menorah.

The display had included both a Menorah and a Christmas tree in the downtown area of the township, where the population is primarily Jewish.

But on Dec. 4, the township removed the Menorah after township attorney Steven Secare advised the township officials that doing so was better than the potential cost of litigation on the matter.

In the wake of the removal, reports circulated locally and regionally, provoking angry comments and criticisms of Knight.

Knight told the Asbury Park Press that she only wanted to see a nativity scene added to the site, and that she even offered to pay for it. She told the Press she mentioned going to the media but never threatened to sue.

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