And the count for vandalized menorah displays begins:
AMHERST – The menorah on the Town Common may have been damaged, but the spirit of the holiday has not.
“We want this to be a catalyst for more people to come and see the lights and join in the celebration of light over night,” said Rabbi Yoseph S. Gottlieb, who works at the Chabad House which serves the Five Colleges and is located near the University of Massachusetts campus.
The Menorah, which was put up on the common on Wednesday night, was discovered yesterday morning with one of its arms broken and its light bulbs pulled out of their sockets, Gottlieb said.
You may remember there was more than a little menorah vandalization going on last year. So does the media:
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. – Organizers who saw their 15-foot menorah vandalized two years in a row are moving forward with plans for an elaborate festival this year to commemorate the first day of Hanukkah.
Robert Cohen, who built the giant, steel menorah five years ago, said plans are underway for a prayer service and children’s festival Dec. 15 in Ladera Ranch, a planned community near Mission Viejo.
Last year, vandals cut through the menorah’s base, broke its lightbulbs and smashed its stars in what police called a hate crime. The year before, someone put toilet paper around the menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum that is used to celebrate the Sabbath and Jewish holidays including Hanukkah.
No arrests have been made.
We’ll see if anything happens to it this year. I’m guessing yes.
Only complete idiots would do such a thing ! Shalom !