City Cast Madison

📝 Santapocalypse on Monroe

December 7, 2023

Good morning, Madison!

And happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate!

For those who don’t know, Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of lights that celebrates the Maccabean Revolt of 2 BCE. The eight-day holiday is observed by lighting candles on a menorah, singing songs, playing dreidel, and eating latkes and sufganiyot — at least that’s how I celebrated when growing up!

In the greater scheme of things, Hanukkah is a relatively minor holiday on the Jewish calendar. But given its occurrence in proximity with other, more widely celebrated winter holidays, Hanukkah has gained more cultural significance, especially among secular Jews.

Did you know Madison is home to one of the oldest surviving synagogue buildings in the nation? Gates of Heaven was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. In 1971, thanks to the efforts of locals, it was purchased by the city, restored, and moved from its original home on West Washington Avenue to James Madison Park, where it stands today.

— Hayley

What's CITY Talking About?

A rendering shows the potential for street murals and more plants on the lower part of State Street. (City of Madison)

🤳 State Street Selfie Station?

The city is mapping out what its experimental plan to turn the 400-600 blocks of State Street into a pedestrian mall will actually look like. The pilot program will launch in 2024 and some changes that might be implemented include street murals, a selfie station, and adding more benches and planters to deter vehicles.
The plan is still in its early stages and the city is actively collecting community feedback via survey. [Isthmus, City of Madison]

☮️ City Council Says 'Ceasefire'

The Madison City Council approved two (largely symbolic) resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and condemning Antisemitism and Islamophobia.
City Council received more than 200 emails and 600 registrants in support of the resolution from residents concerned about their tax dollars being used in the war.
“We heard the heartbreaking testimonies of our own community members who have lost countless family members since the bombings started,” District 7 Ald. Nasra Wehelie said in a statement after the vote. “Madison is a city that prides itself on being progressive and standing up for justice. It is important that we continue using our voice as policy makers to put pressure on our current administration to stop the bombing of civilians in Gaza.” [Channel 3000, City of Madison]

🚫 Dane County Ditches X

County Executive Joe Parisi recently ordered all county departments to stop posting on X (formerly known as Twitter) by the end of the year. The move comes after the social media platform and its owner Elon Musk have come under fire for allegations of promoting hate speech.
The Dane County Regional Airport and Public Health Madison & Dane County have already stopped using the platform. You can still keep track of all county department updates on their respective websites, many departments are also active on Facebook and Instagram.
“When we look at the way we get information out in county government we think it’s important that we are not utilizing a platform that is unnecessarily pushing hate to be honest and that is engaging in hate speech,” Parisi said in an email to county employees. [NBC15]

What To Do

Thursday, Dec. 7

"All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914" pre-performance discussion at Overture Center
Brews and Q's at Karben4
Cabaret for a Cause at Crucible
Come Home, Indio: An Evening with Jim Terry at Central Library
Open to Grow: A Public Health & DAMA Collaboration at Garver Feed Mill
Gaza Fights for Freedom: Movie Screening at UW South Madison Partnership
Moonboot + BingBong at The Bur Oak
Music Bingo at Starkweather Brewing Company
Petphori's 3rd Anniversary + Beni's 10th Barkday at Petphoria
Rich Meciejewski: Driftless River: Photographing the Lower Wisconsin at Arts + Literature Laboratory
Sam Tallent at Comedy on State
Thursday Blues Jam - Featuring The Usual Suspects at Red Rooster Madison
World Music and Choral Concert at Madison College Mitby Theater
Yes Ma’am - Presented by Monkey Business Institute at Cafe CODA

More DC Events

Today on City Cast

Lindsay Christians displays her cookbook collection. — Lindsay Christians might just be the queen of cookbooks. *(Lindsay Christians /Cap Times)*

The Best Cookbooks To Give for the Holidays

Tis the season to be baking and cooking so maybe it’s time to crack open that cookbook you’ve been neglecting all year. If you’re looking for new culinary inspiration or the perfect gift for a home chef in your life, Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians is here with a bounty of cookbook recommendations.