It took about a year to iron out the details of the department's new
menorah policy, which allows each state prison to designate a room where
one menorah will be lit by a staff member or a volunteer religious
group leader. And while the candles burn, the inmates are supervised by
the staff member.
Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum, left, and Roger B. Jacobs
New Jersey launched a pilot program this year to allow inmates to light Hanukkah menorahs under controlled conditions. The program was initiated at the request of a Chabad rabbi, Zalman Grossbaum.
The New Jersey Star Ledger reports:
…Currently there are 54 recorded Jewish inmates -- 42 men and 12 women -- in the Department of Corrections' custody, a spokeswoman said. And there are 23,168 inmates in state prisons, according to department figures.
In announcing the pilot program in a news release, the department stressed a desire to maintain a mandate that allowed each inmate "the right to freedom of religious affiliation and voluntary religious worship while incarcerated."
It took about a year to iron out the details of the department's new menorah policy, which allows each state prison to designate a room where one menorah will be lit by a staff member or a volunteer religious group leader. And while the candles burn, the inmates are supervised by the staff member.
Roger Jacobs, a Roseland attorney and friend of Grossbaum's who helped negotiate the resolution, said department officials had safety concerns in years past that prevented prisoners from lighting candles. The menorah was modified for New Jersey prisons with smaller candles that stand on top of a low and small tin box, instead of a more elaborate design.
"The key is not exactly what type of menorah you use, just the fact that you're able to light the flame," said Jacobs, "And for a prisoner, lighting the flame is a mitzvah.”…