NJ town takes down menorah; resident replaces it

A menorah has returned to the town square in Lakewood, New Jersey. But for how long? It's a controversy that's dividing this suburban town.

One resident named Harold Herskowitz was so outraged that the town removed a menorah next to a Christmas tree that he put up his own menorah next to the tree.

The town menorah had stood alongside the Christmas tree for years, but this year it was taken down after a township meeting in which a woman threatened to sue if Lakewood officials didn't put up a nativity scene in the town square, too.

Mayor Albert Ackerman said the township attorney said officials can't put up a nativity scene because it is a "religious article." So the woman who complained at the meeting asked that the menorah will be taken down.

The mayor wanted to take a tough stance but said a lawsuit would cost money. The mayor was hoping the town would just move on, but he said that residents are upset and are bothering him about it.

So that is why Herskowitz put up his own menorah. And that was actually the second time he put up his own menorah to replace the town's. The Sanitation Department took one down the night before. He said he will sue if that happens again.