Four Penn State University students are facing charges for stealing a large 9-foot menorah from outside the home of the campus Chabad rabbi, and leaving it lying damaged outside a Jewish fraternity, reported CBS Pittsburgh.
The menorah was stolen overnight on Friday, Oct. 27, from outside the home of Rabbi Hershy Gourarie, co-director of Chabad of the Undergrads at Penn State University, and later found lying damaged in front of the Sigma Alpha Mu house, which Gourarie says is a Jewish fraternity.
Four men were seen on surveillance footage placing the menorah on the frat house porch. Gourarie says the students being charged are members of other fraternities.
Rabbi Gourarie told The Daily Collegian that the menorah was too damaged to be repaired and would cost about $1,800 to fix.
“I hope that this is a time of introspection for the four suspects. At the right time, I would like to meet with them to educate and heal,” he said in a statement.
The students were identified as Vincent Morisco, of Woodland Park, New Jersey, Henry Scott Dardaris, of Newtown, Brandon Michael Steidley, of State College, and Kyle A. McCarthy, of Avondale.
State College Police said Monday that they had filed charges against the students, including misdemeanor counts of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief. They are scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 20.
Gourarie says they have set up a GoFundMe to raise money for their Light With Love campaign, which will host campus-wide events to “promote peace and diversity” and place Menorahs around campus.
University officials released a statement in reaction to the menorah theft as well as other recent hate acts on campus.
“In the last few weeks alone, actions such as stealing and damaging a Jewish Menorah, reports of racial slurs, and activity by white supremacy groups have occurred on or near our campuses,” according to the statement.
“We condemn these actions and will hold students and others involved accountable where we can, including restitution for damage. We do not support nor do we condone racist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, homophobic or other discriminatory messages or actions. Nor will we allow our University community to become a place where offensive words and behaviors take root. We will continue to condemn hate-filled speech and action by any individual or group that aims to incite fear or create divisiveness.” the statement also said.
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6 Responses
the menorah was too damaged to be repaired and would cost about $1,800 to fix?
Can be fixed but not repaired?
just a prank
But MTAB,personally I would hate any prank business.And once it is directed at any religious object, that makes it a hate crime that must be condemned immediately.
Why just being reported?
Penn State is one of the many homes of the “ignorant elite.” Think of Sandusky, Paterno, and the kid – I can think of only one, but there may be more – who was killed in a frat-house party/initiation rite. The ignorate elite are numerous – there’s even one in the White House. They have the credentials of a higher education, but little or no actual education. So maybe the menorah thieves are “good people,” or maybe they are affirmatively anti-Semitic. But the ignorant elite are with us now, and menorah theft is one of the consequences.
@rt- it must be because the “degenerate adulterous draft dodger” is president. Or maybe it’s just because the cops just caught the perps, and things were kept under wraps by the authorities until the investigation was completed.