TRENTON — Jewish inmates in New Jersey state prisons will be allowed to use menorahs for Hanukkah this year.
The state Corrections Department unveiled a Hanukkah policy this week. Corrections spokesman Matt Schuman says this is the first time there’s a uniform policy.
Previously, most prisons were uncomfortable with allowing real candles. Now, authorized volunteer religious leaders or prison staff will light candles with inmates present.
Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum of the Rabbinical College of America-Lubavitch is praising the new policy, saying it shows the Corrections Department is sensitive to inmates’ religious needs.
Hanukkah begins Dec. 8 this year.