Hanukkah menorah (archives)
Photo: Dudu Azoulay
Italy: Vandals disrupt menorah lighting
Large Jewish symbol set up in Catania, Sicily detached for second year in a row to prevent lighting of third Hanukkah candle. 'It’s clear that we are dealing with an anti-Semitic act of intolerance,' says Jewish community member
Unknown vandals detached a large menorah set up in Piazza Università in Catania, Sicily, in order to disrupt the public lighting of the third Hanukkah
candle on Monday night, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reports.
This is the second year in a row that vandals detach the city's menorah after damaging it twice last year. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Menorah vandalized in Miami Beach last week (archive photo)
Anti-Semitic writing on Florida menorah's base
Benito Triolo, president of the Jewish cultural association B’nai Isaac, which has been organizing the menorah lightings for the past four years, told the local Catania news website CTzen.it: “Taking this all together, it’s clear that we are dealing with an anti-Semitic act of intolerance.”
According to JTA, a small number of Jews live in Catania – most of them descendants of Jews forced to convert to Christianity or face expulsion more than 500 years ago, who have recently reclaimed their roots.
A large menorah on display in Miami Beach, Florida was vandalized last week with the words "You Killed Jesus" scrawled on its base.
