There are no arenas singing Christmas carols and lighting a Hanukkah candle in Philly's Chinatown

For those wondering about the state of mind of Sixers arena opponents after the City Council approved the proposal on Dec. 19, more than a dozen Philadelphians offered some insight on a cold Christmas afternoon.

They stood next to the Chinatown Arch and sang a song to the tune of “I Have a Little Dreidel”, the lyrics of which were rewritten into a protest song:

Arena, ‘rena, ‘rena / It’s not good

Arena, ‘rena, ‘rena / Displace the neighborhood

I don’t care who wants it / I don’t care

I have no sense of morality or responsibility

Arena, ‘rena, ‘rena / I know this isn’t fair

But if you’re a billionaire, you don’t have to care.

People are against it / So are companies

The future of this neighborhood lies with me and you.

The carolers were on site as part of No Arena in Chinatown Solidarity (NACS), gathering on the first night of Hanukkah to sing and light a candle on a menorah.

No Arena Christmas Carolers in Chinatown Solidarity (NACS) sang Christmas classics rewritten as protest songs in Philly’s Chinatown on Wednesday, December 25, 2024. (Heather Chin/Billy Penn)

They sang songs rewritten by anti-arena advocates as part of the “Chinatown Is Here To Stay” songbook, some of which were also performed by the No Arena Flash Choir in front of City Hall, where some members were removed from the hearings because of their singing were excluded from the city council’s testimony.

Other songs sung included a version of “Havah Nagilah” retitled “Have A Nice Egg Roll”, a song called “Oh, Listen Up Developers” to the tune of “Oh Chanukah, Oh Chanukah” and “L’Chaim All You.” Good Folk” to the tune of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

NACS was founded in 2021 by Philadelphia’s Jewish residents to stand in solidarity with the Chinatown community and resist predatory development. Since then it has developed into an interfaith coalition.

“Chinatown Solidarity Carols are one of my favorite NACS traditions. Over the last three years, it has taken a different form each time, and that is a joy: a reminder of how cultural traditions can be created, adopted, grown and renewed,” said organizer Debora Kodish.

Kodish, who lives in West Philly, noted that “music, communal singing and parodies of songs have been part of the movement from the beginning, with a protest against Sixers part-owner and Campus Apartments CEO David Adelman’s appearance at Jewish Federal.” Real Estate Breakfast “Legends and Leaders”.

“‘Shonda’ and ‘Goniff’ we sang back then and I’m proud that people were there that Christmas Day to say that those words – ‘disgrace’ and ‘theft’ – are still the case,” said Kodish.

Rabbi Linda Holtzman spoke carols with No Arena in Chinatown Solidarity (NACS) on Christmas Day and the first day/night of Hanukkah in Philly’s Chinatown on Wednesday, December 25, 2024. (Heather Chin/Billy Penn)

Between songs, Rabbi Linda Holtzman, who has led several Philly congregations and co-founded POWER Interfaith, led a blessing and menorah lighting for the first night of Hanukkah, which fell on Christmas Day for the first time in 19 years.

“Although they are very different holidays – a celebration of Jesus and a whole new way of seeing the world, as opposed to a celebration of fighting the Empire – they are the same because we fight for the light. We’re here to shed light,” Holtzman said.

“To shine a light on greed that has led people to (endanger) a neighborhood we all love.” “The idea of building an arena here is terrible,” she added. “This deal is a terrible deal for the city. The promised money (Mayor Cherelle Parker) is not going anywhere… Even though the city council approved it, we will not give up because the light within us is great. We will not stop exposing the truth. There is no hiding. We have more power together than apart.”

“It’s not just Chinatown, it’s all of Philly.”

The recurring message of the afternoon was that the proposed Sixers Arena would have a negative impact on all Philadelphians, not just those living in Chinatown.

“The arena is a bad deal for all of Philadelphia. But developers don’t care about Philadelphia; it’s all about the money. The City Council pretends to care, but in the end they don’t care, especially (City Councilmember) Mark Squilla,” said Wei Chen, director of civic engagement for Asian Americans United.

Asian Americans United’s Wei Chen spoke with Christmas carolers from No Arena in Chinatown Solidarity (NACS) on Wednesday, December 25, 2024, among holiday classics rewritten as protest songs in Philly’s Chinatown. (Heather Chin/Billy Penn)

“The last few weeks have been very hard. When I immigrated to Philadelphia at 15, I lived in South Philly, but Chinatown became very important to feeling at home and having hope again. This fight shows people that the culture and community of Chinatown still exists. A culture of resistance. We are fighting for the future of the next generation.”

West Philly attorney Art Read agreed, saying, “It’s not just Chinatown, it’s all of Philly.”

“An arena can be built in a much less destructive way,” Read said. “The streets are narrow and the construction years will be tough, not only for the people of Chinatown but also for Philly. There are a lot of failed construction projects.”

“For me, one of the most painful aspects is the division of communities,” he continued. “At the council hearings I saw many construction workers being told it was about jobs (and therefore the opposition was against their jobs). This deliberate attempt to divide…”

“…It’s called divide and conquer,” agreed Read’s wife, Cindy Rosenthal.

West Philly residents Art Read and Cindy Rosenthal joined No Arena in Chinatown Solidarity (NACS) carolers on Christmas Day to light a menorah candle for the first night of Hanukkah. (Heather J. Chin/Billy Penn)

“I represented mushroom workers in Chester County and Chinatown, AAU, and monks were supporters of our strike,” Read continued. “There is a long history of support for workers’ rights by politically progressive groups in the Asian American community. There are many people in the Jewish community who recognize that an injury to one is an injury to all.”

This shared solidarity goes back over a century, emphasized Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture, an activist with the Philadelphia Tenants Union who has also protested for affordable housing in Philly and against the demolition of UC Townhomes.

“Next month, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and we should remember that the history of solidarity between people of African-American and Asian-American descent goes back over 100 years,” said Nkrumah-Ture, citing several historical examples, including: Speech by Frederick Douglass from the Year 1869 against the Chinese Exclusion Act and the activism of Yuri (Mary) Kochiyama and Grace Lee Boggs.

“Black Philly 4 Chinatown knows that we must all stand together. Stupid people ask why we are in solidarity. But we know that we have a long history of solidarity,” she said. “Don’t let anyone tell you this story doesn’t exist. We will stand with Chinatown every step of the way.”

When the caroling ended, Rabbi Holtzman held up a battery-operated menorah and a Chinatown lawyer held his cell phone flashlight behind the center candle because the menorah’s batteries weren’t working. Then Holtzman began with two blessings in Hebrew.

The audience accepted the technical difficulties calmly and viewed the collaboration as a metaphor.

“Imagine the first light because the batteries don’t work, but we have energy within us,” Holtzman said. “Light reminds us of the great light in our traditions that brought us here today.”

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

There are no arenas singing Christmas carols and lighting a Hanukkah candle in Philly’s Chinatown

Leave a Reply Cancel reply