A 6-foot tall Chanukah menorah was vandalized and smashed yesterday in an incident that is being investigated by Evanston police as a possible hate crime. The electric menorah is prominently displayed at a hospitality facility that is located at 1022 Central St, outside the Evanston metro station and right opposite Evanston Hospital. The facility is run by a Jewish community service organization called the Chicago Mitzvah Campaign (CMC), and provides a variety of services to patients, visitors and staff members at the hospital.
“The menorah’s lights were smashed and the switches were all ripped out,” said the CMC’s director, Rabbi Aron Wolf. “This wanton destruction of property is incredibly disheartening, and especially at this time of year, when we should be recognizing everyone’s right to celebrate holidays in a spirit of brotherhood and goodwill.”
Security cameras at the CMC’s hospitality facility were not able to identify the vandals, but police are currently investigating to see if surveillance in nearby facilities may be of assistance.
Chicago Mitzvah Campaign has been providing social services and pastoral care to the Chicago Jewish community since 1999. CMC programs provide assistance to the elderly and infirm when they need them most, at times of frailty, illness, infirmity and loss.
CMC’s Solomon and Dora Einhorn Evanston Hospitality Suite has been serving the community since August 2014.
For more information about the CMC, visit www.chicagomitzvahcampaign.com. Rabbi Wolf may be reached at (773) 716-8872.
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3 Responses
The Jewish people are Despised by the World even Americans! Let’s Stop Associating Chanukah with the Lights of the Holiday Seasons.
possible hate crime? Oh, maybe they were trying to mug the menorah.
Wherever I go I see large menorahs, more than Xmas trees. What is the point?
We are in golus. We need to live quiet, aidel lives, not promote our religion commercially like Christians do with theirs, lehavdil. We shouldn’t hide our Jewishness, but neither should we aggressively promote the display of Jewish symbols in public areas and on public property.