PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A menorah is "expected" be lit in the Rhode Island State House to honor the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, Governor Chafee's spokeswoman Christine Hunsinger said Thursday.
Details for the event have not been finalized.
A menorah has been lit in the Capitol building each year since 1985, according to Journal archives.
The menorah lighting is a recognition of the Jewish tradition, Hunsinger said, just as the dozens of Christmas trees and other Christmas-themed decorations in the building are a reflection of the Christian holiday.
Christmas trees adorn the second floor of the State House, reflecting the Irish, German, Portuguese, Dominican Republic and other cultural heritages of the community groups who have been putting them up for years. Some have manger or Nativity scenes and other religious symbols accompanying them.
But two prominent trees are purposefully not designated "Christmas" trees, Hunsinger noted: The massive "holiday" tree in the State House rotunda, which has been at the center of controversy during Chafee's tenure, and the "heroes" tree that honors military families, located in the formal State Room.