THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 6, 1994 TAG: 9412060321
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Virginia News
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Jewish leaders say they hope a $1,000 reward will lead to the arrest of vandals who destroyed three outdoor menorah displays last weekend in Henrico County.
The Virginia-North Carolina office of the Anti-Defamation League posted the reward almost immediately after hearing about the vandalism, director Samuel K. Kaplan said.
``This is another reminder, one among many, that anti-Semitism is a virus, and bigotry and hatred appear to be alive in our society,'' Kaplan said.
Jewish leaders say the vandals should be prosecuted under federal and state hate crime laws.
``This is an act of religious desecration,'' said David Nussbaum, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Richmond, the city's central Jewish organization. ``We will pursue full prosecution. This is pretty open and shut - a religious object was destroyed.''
Henrico County police are investigating the vandalism as a possible hate crime, Lt. Lewis Shaw said Monday.
``We will consider this a hate crime if we find this was done in a malicious manner directed against a particular group,'' Shaw said. ``We won't know that until we find a motive.''
Police have no suspects and are not sure if one person or group is responsible, Shaw said.
The menorah is a candelabrum for nine candles or lights. It is a symbol of Hanukkah, or the Jewish Festival of Lights. The holiday began Nov. 27 and ended Sunday night.
One menorah erected in Richmond's West End was vandalized early Friday.
``It was in shambles,'' said Rabbi Yossel Krantz of the Lubavitch Center, a nonprofit organization that erected nine menorahs in the area. ``It was broken, on the ground, there was glass everywhere.''
On Saturday, menorahs at the Jewish Community Center and Keneseth Beth Israel Synagogue were destroyed, and a community center sign bidding passers-by a ``Happy Hanukkah'' was broken.
The vandalism was similar to the destruction of menorah displays two years ago in the county, Krantz said.
The teenagers involved in the earlier vandalism said they were playing a joke on another student and were unaware of the religious significance of the menorahs, Krantz said. They performed community service and met with the rabbi for several hours to learn about Judaism.
But Krantz said this time, ``you're going to find one mean rabbi.''
``I don't know what else we can do,'' Krantz said. ``We'll replace them for next year, but we don't want to have to build a fence around them.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jewish and Christian citizens, above, met at the Jewish Community
Center in Richmond Sunday to protest the vandalism of menorahs at
three locations over the weekend. Jewish leaders said they want the
vandals prosecuted under federal and state hate crime laws. At left,
a vandalized menorah, a symbol of Hanukkah, or the Jewish Festival
of Lights, lies on the lawn outside Keneseth Beth Israel Synagogue
in Richmond Sunday.
by CNB