SALT LAKE CITY — A Jewish synagogue’s menorah was stolen before Hanukkah began Sunday, the second time in three years someone has desecrated its sacred candelabrum.
Rabbi Benny Zippel of Chabad Lubavitch of Utah noticed the 6-foot menorah missing when he arrived for services Sunday about 9 a.m. It has stood outside the building, 1760 S. 1100 East, during Hanukkah since 2005.
A couple out for a walk found the menorah leaning against the alumni house at nearby Westminster College, Zippel said. He said he didn't immediately know the extent of the damage.
"My suspicion is that this is not an anti-Semitic occurrence. I think it's just some young people walking around the neighborhood looking for a thrill," he said.
Zippel said he never focuses on the negative.
“The message that I take from this is: It’s time to do more,” he said. “It’s time to do better. It’s time to work extra hard on increasing and enhancing the prevalence of light over darkness in this dark world we live in.”
Displaying the menorah at Hanukkah, Zippel said, is a symbol of religious freedom and the predominance of light over darkness. Chabad's Hanukkah celebration started at nightfall Sunday in the state Capitol rotunda.
This was not the first time Chabad Lubavitch of Utah has had its Hanukkah menorah vandalized. In 2013, the same menorah was damaged, though it was not taken from the synagogue.
Salt Lake police Lt. Mike Hatch said there's nothing to lead police to believe the latest incident is a hate crime.
"It appears to be just a random, insensitive act of theft or vandalism," he said.
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