By COLlive reporter
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had a defiant message when he visited the public Menorah in Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan that was vandalized twice.
“There are people who try to belittle us, to feel something less than we are,” he told a crowd on Monday night. “When we see an act of prejudice and hate, we must respond to it and we can’t minimize it or look away.”
Located near Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor, the menorah was vandalized twice before and after a lighting ceremony hosted by Chabad of the Upper East Side and Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on Sunday.
Chabad Rabbi Ben Tzion Krasnianski told Chabad.org the menorah had been toppled over on Shabbos as well, causing some minor damage to it. The second toppling on Sunday took place after the 6:30 p.m. event and caused more serious damage to the menorah.
“There’s no way it came down by accident, it kind of sat on a platform and clearly somebody pushed it over,” Alex Goldstein, who lives in the area, told 1010 WINS. “I was just shocked when I saw it toppled over,” Goldstein said. “There was damage to the different branches of the menorah.”
At the impromptu event on Monday, de Blasio said: “This is the epitome of who we are in this city. This is the epitome of who we are, because even when confronted by hatred, by division, we stand up, we show our strength, we show our resilience, we show our love for one another, we show our embrace for all peoples, and yes, the light does triumph over the darkness.”
The Mayor was joined by Rabbi Krasnianski, Rabbi Elie Weinstock of Kehilath Jeshurun, Council Member Ben Kallos, members of the community and local residents.
“If you know anything about history, you know how much the Jewish people have persevered,” de Blasio said, adding that “the measure of a society and government is: do we stand by people who’ve been subjected for so many centuries and ensure their struggle is our struggle, or look away?”
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the vandalism. Police said they don’t have any surveillance video or witnesses. They believe the same person is responsible for both incidents, it was reported.
Mayor de Blasio said the show of support was a statement by itself.
“Tonight is an example that the people of this city are at one with our Jewish community and each other. The city government stands by our Jewish community.”
Rabbi Weinstock noted that the answer to the battered menorah is one directly related to the holiday itself. “More light into this darkness,” he said. “That is how we will be successful as a community, as a city and as a world that seems to be more and more filled with darkness, we will respond with more and more light.”
VIDEO:
Kudos to Rabbi Brn Tzion and Chanie Krasnianski
You have changed the face of the Upper East SideFrom People who were embarrassed of wearing a Yarmalke to Jews walking in the street wearing their Taleisim to closing down a major thoroughfare to dance in the streets on Simchas Tora
standing up to hate and darkness with strength and conviction. well done mayor.
well done mayor de blasio this kind of crime does not belong in nyc
Regardless of politics, and putting it aside, I’m inspired to do more in my own little way.
don’t put too much faith in any politician.
To shut out darkness and evil we do need to increase the light. I think Chabad should have a bigger Menorah built. Show our pride.
what the reaction would be if it was a Muslim ritual item was the target. Too much tolerance for antisemitism and too much handwringing about faux Islamaphobia.