BROOKLYN — An 8-foot menorah was mangled and knocked down in Bay Ridge on the fourth night of Hanukkah, residents and police said.
The Chabad of Bay Ridge’s aluminum menorah was “cracked at the base and bent in the middle” at the corner of 65th Street and 7th Avenue sometime between 2 and 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Rabbi Tzvi Stroh told DNAInfo Friday. An accompanying 3-by-4-foot sign reading “Chabad wishes you a Happy Chanukkah” was stolen also.
“My immediate reaction was surprise and shock, like 'Why would anyone do this?'” Stroh said.
Chabad volunteer Hanoch Barhorin, who helped light the electric menorah, said, “It was very disturbing.”
“Where was the sign?” Barhorin said. “That was one of the most powerful messages, and it got us a little nervous.”
The NYPD said it has no suspects and is still investigating. A spokesman said he could not speculate on a motive.
The Chabad has three other menorahs set up around the neighborhood, and Stroh said he is not concerned about safety in the area.
It’s the second time the menorah in front of Leif Ericson Park has been knocked down, Stroh and Barhorin said. Last year, it was found on the ground with the Hanukkah sign crumpled nearby, but residents attributed the incident to wind and improper set-up.
But both Stroh and Barhorin saw a silver lining in this year's incident: the menorah managed to stay lit, even as it lay on the ground.
“That’s symbolically the message of the Hanukkah menorah in general: that even if there’s a lot of darkness in the world, the light still shines as long as we persevere,” Stroh said.
He and Barhorin said they also found solace in the responding NYPD officer, who told them the first thing they should do is put the menorah back up.
“This is America, you can’t let them win,” the officer said, according to Stroh. “You’ve got to keep the light alive.”
The broken menorah has become a source of “inspiration” for many congregants, according to Stroh. He believes that even more people than usual will come out Sunday night for a menorah parade to show that an act of vandalism can't darken their Hanukkah celebrations.
