A prominent local community leader and philanthropist is calling on city council to reinstall a monument of the Ten Commandments in Assiniboine Park.
“It embodies universal values and precepts for all,” Gail Asper said Thursday at the Lanny Remis Speakers Forum at the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre. “They form an important foundation for western civilization … They are an essential part of Jewish and Christian values.”
The monument, which was donated to the City of Winnipeg in 1965 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, was removed by the Assiniboine Park Conservancy in 2017 to make way for the building of the Leaf. It has been in storage ever since.
JOHN LONGHURST / FREE PRESS
Gail Asper speaks with Bernie Bellan, former editor and publisher of the Jewish Post and News.
It was not reinstalled because of concern it might make the park feel less welcoming for some members of the community, the conservancy said in a submission to Welcoming Winnipeg in 2022 when asking for permission to remove the monument from the park.
The Welcoming Winnipeg initiative was created to help ensure the contributions, experiences and perspectives of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people are reflected in the city’s historical markers and place names.
In her presentation, Asper called that request to remove the monument “ill-advised, hurtful and wrong.”
“What harm is there in reminding people not to murder or steal?” she asked, noting that as a frequent user of the park, she appreciated seeing the monument during her walks and runs.
Although a member of Winnipeg’s Jewish community, she isn’t religious, Asper said. But the Ten Commandments “inspire me to be a better person.”
She went on to note that since many people today don’t go to church or synagogue and religion isn’t taught in schools, “Where could they learn about the Ten Commandments? Why not in the park?”
When asked if she was worried about the monument being politicized, Asper said that is a concern. Louisiana’s government has mandated the Ten Commandments be posted in school classrooms.
“But we shouldn’t be afraid of that. It needs to be debated,” she said.
While the audience of about 30 people seemed to agree with Asper, Bernie Bellan, former publisher and editor of the Jewish Post and News, suggested the commandments are more than simply an “innocuous statement of good morals and conduct.”
CITY OF WINNIPEG
Ten Commandments commemorative monument Assiniboine Park
Noting the first commandment states, “You shall have no other gods before me,” he said it is actually “very exclusive” and could be divisive and stir up controversy in a multifaith society.
Asper acknowledged that “could be a challenge for some, but nobody is forced to read it in the park.”
If concerns about exclusivity are a problem, she said, the conservancy could create a section in the park where the monument and statements of faith from other religious groups could be displayed as a way to educate and inspire Winnipeggers.
That, she said, would be a way to “celebrate diversity,” adding she can “only see good coming from reinstalling it. It can inspire people to be better humans … I hope city council will do the right thing.”
A city spokesman said council is still waiting for a report on the future of the monument.
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John Longhurst
Faith reporter
John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg’s faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.
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