Stonnington Council approves Chanukah Menorah

Stonnington Council has approved the installation of a public Chanukah menorah following a week of community outcry over the decision’s deferral at last week’s council meeting.

The menorah will be displayed on the Stonnington city centre balcony at the corner of Glenferrie Road and High Street in Malvern, visible from both main roads.

Councillor Tom Humphries, who introduced the original motion, said he was proud a menorah would stand in the heart of Stonnington for the first time.

“While the ugly side of government was shown, the right result was ultimately delivered,” he said. “It took two meetings, over 200 attendees, a Stonnington record 120 submissions, but finally the right result was ultimately delivered.”

Rabbi Reuvi Cooper, Youth Director of Chabad of Malvern, which submitted the application, told the AJN he was “very pleased that we can have a menorah up on council land.”

“The idea is that we add light and add acts of goodness and kindness, and that spreads positivity. That’s the point of it, and that’s what we’ve done.”

Rabbi Cooper said the motion included a commitment to incorporate Chanukah into the council’s 2026 festival planning, and that the acting CEO had mentioned the council was considering building its own menorah for annual use.

“We were very happy about the support from the entire community, both Jewish and non-Jewish,” he said.

The approval came at a special meeting called by Mayor Melina Sehr after she used her casting vote to defer the matter last Monday night, citing governance concerns.

Mayor Sehr said that “racist allegations” had been directed at herself and fellow councillors since the deferral, which she described as “not only incorrect, but deeply disappointing and hurtful.”

“My decision to defer was not political, not personal, and certainly not discriminatory,” she said.

“It was simply the lawful, responsible and correct action.”

Councillor Steve Stefanopoulos, who supported the deferral, also addressed the accusations, recounting childhood memories of meeting Holocaust survivors who worked alongside his mother in Melbourne’s clothing factories.

“Don’t tell me that I’m antisemitic. I find such an accusation unfounded and insulting,” he said.

However, Councillor Kate Hely, who co-sponsored the original motion, said she was “silenced in the Chamber” after being presented with a new motion minutes before the meeting without consultation.

Procedural mechanisms prevented her from speaking during debate.

The approval is for 2025 only while Council develops a civic recognition policy in early 2026.