Residents of the city of Long Beach, New York conducted a public hearing, as well as letter-writing and telephone campaigns to City Hall due to their displeasure with a large menorah outside their government building. Protestors said the public Christmas tree, located next to the menorah, was dwarfed by the Jewish holiday symbol, and that it was insulting. City officials had planted a 7-foot-tall Christmas tree next to a 20-foot-tall menorah in the plaza in front of City Hall, and were met with anger on the part of Christmas celebrants from Long Beach.
In response, residents replaced their old tree, which they dug up and sent to a mall, with a 20-foot blue spruce tree found 25 miles southeast of midtown Manhattan.