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Statesboro council opens with Hanukkah blessing; members voice solidarity with Jewish neighbors
Summary
A Statesboro resident and Georgia Southern adviser led a Hanukkah blessing at the Dec. 16 council meeting; council members later thanked downtown organizers and expressed solidarity with Jewish residents amid global unrest.
Rose Schafer, a Statesboro resident who advises Jewish student organizations at Georgia Southern, led the council in a Hanukkah blessing during the Dec. 16 meeting and recited the Hebrew and English prayers used to light the menorah. Schafer described the holiday as a celebration of resilience: "The story of Hanukkah, teaches us that a small amount of light can push out a lot of darkness." She noted it was the third night of Hanukkah and invited attendees to join in the traditional blessings and translations.
Later in the meeting a council member thanked the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority and sponsors for a recent, well-attended holiday celebration and explicitly expressed appreciation that the council and staff had supported the city’s Jewish neighbors. The council member framed the remarks as solidarity in response to "some of the hatred that's going on in the world," and said the city should continue to demonstrate tolerance and support for its diverse residents.
The invocation and the council member’s remarks occurred during the ceremonial opening and the 'other business' portion of the agenda; no formal action items were tied to the invocation. The comments were recorded as part of the meeting record and were followed by the meeting’s routine business agenda.
