TEL AVIV – A nine-foot menorah that was knocked over earlier this year at the University of Illinois has been repaired and rededicated, the Associated Press reported.
On Monday evening, the second night of Hanukkah, Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel of the university’s Chabad Center held a candle-lighting ceremony for a crowd of 150.
The menorah was knocked over on two occasions, once in April and again in August. Max Kristy was arrested in connection with the second incident, and he reportedly told police that he was drunk and planning to give the menorah as a gift to a Jewish friend. The menorah snapped at the base when Kristy attempted to move it.
Tiechtel says that since the incident, his community’s faith has grown stronger. He also added that $7,500 has been raised for a new, sturdier menorah, which he hopes will be installed next year.
There have been at least two other cases of vandalized menorahs this Hanukkah season, one in New York City and the other in Salt Lake City, as Breitbart Jerusalem reported.