A menorah used during Hannukah celebrations in Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire, has been vandalized. The menorah, which has been in place in the area for three years, was found damaged between the evening of 28 December and the morning of 29 December. The police, who are treating the matter as a hate crime, say that blue paint had been thrown onto the candelabrum, known as a hanukkiah.
Rabbi Eliezer Tunk, the director of Chabad Lubavitch Bricket Wood, expressed his shock and sadness at the vandalism. However, he said that the menorah would be replaced, and that it would likely be moved to a more public location. “They would fight the darkness with the light,” the rabbi stated.
Hertfordshire Police have been working to try and obtain and view CCTV footage from nearby shops as part of their investigation. Additional patrols have also been carried out in the area, and residents have been encouraged to speak to officers if they have any concerns.
The incident has occurred against a backdrop of increased levels of reported hate crime aimed at both Jews and Muslims. In November 2019, the Campaign Against Antisemitism published data indicating that anti-Semitic crimes in the UK had reached an all-time high. This came after a report by Tell MAMA, an organisation that monitors anti-Muslim hatred, stated that anti-Muslim incidents had risen by more than 25% between 2017 and 2018
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