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The Hanukkah menorah is a sign of peace and joy, symbolic of a miracle in the Jewish religion.
But a menorah in Miami Beach, Fla., has also become an attraction for hate speech, with someone scribbling "you killed Jesus" on the base of the prominent Chabad Hanukkah display.
Rabbi Zev Katz, who put up the menorah, is disappointed.
"I hoped that people from other religions, we could all get along, we all have what we believe in, respect each other and live with each other," said Katz, of Chabad House in Miami Beach.
At Temple Beth Torah, in the Wellington community near West Palm Beach, there was more anti-Semitism this past weekend. In that incident, somebody painted a swastika along with some offensive words on a dumpster.
The Anti-Defamation League condemned both incidents and reported them to the authorities. Desecration cases like these sometimes go unsolved, but authorities use such reports to track any possible hate crime trends.
Unfortunately for Rabbi Katz, this isn't the first anti-Semitic attack against his giant menorah.
"Twelve years ago someone smashed it, terrible, and we weren't sure if we're going to actually light the menorah the first night of Hanukkah," he said.
But they did then, and they will again this Saturday night as Jews ring in the first night of Hanukkah. Organizers said they are expecting 1,000 people to attend.
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I knowed Jesus, I tried to tell that boy not to go messin' 'round with those Jews without any money.
Religious fights.. you can't help but sit in awe.
I think it's time we start an MMA fight club for religious folks. I'd pay to see that @!$%#.
Making hatred a crime is an invitation for violence. Hatred is an emotion. Emotions cannot be outlawed. If people hate then we must confront the hatred, not suppress it. People must express their hatred in order to deal with it. Otherwise, they will express their hatred in violence before we have a chance to deal with it.
So, Islamic terrorism is just murder, correct?
Terrorism is an attempt to control others through the threat of violence, backed up by occasional actual violence to give the threat some credibility. Terrorism often utilizes murder, particularly the murder of innocents, but not necessarily. When a hateful mob kills someone, or does property damage, spontaneously, that's more of a hate crime than an attempt to control.
Sounds like the exact same thing to me. You're picking nits.
Correct me if I am wrong but in every bible I have ever read the Romans killed Jesus. Why do Christians always blame on it on the jews???????
Oh no! And in other news, the Easter Bunny keyed Santa's sleigh as part of a turf war over Santa's inclusion of candy in peoples' stockings. In retaliation, Santa smashed the Easter Bunny's eggs, calling him a hypocrit for complaining while including toys in his Easter baskets. The two hope to mediate soon.
Oh look who's out casting stones...
The article says that Hanukkah is a festival of peach, when in fact it was not. It commemorates the battle to take the temple back. They then had to burn lights in the temple to deceive their opponents into believing that there was an occupying force there to defend it until reinforcements could arrive. It is a festival of deception and war.
I wanted to be an atheist, but they dont have any good holidays.
Just do what the Christians did. Adopt someone else's holidays.
I may be wrong but wasn't Jesus' dying on the cross God's plan to save the rest of us? If that is where we start it is immaterial who carried out His plan, Romans, Jews, it was God's will. Some say we have free will but that is only a "reason" to explain the parts of God's plan we don't like. Most of us go through life doing as we will but, God will, and in fact we are taught must, intervene if we are to believe.
Anyone who believe anything in the Bible is a dumbass.
You don't believe that you should not steal?
The ancient Greeks had laws against theft...long before Jesus. Just common sense.
Whoever did this needs to read their magic book. The Romans killed Jesus who WAS A JEW. So glad I'm an atheist and I don't have to worry about all this nonsense!
As if antisemitism isn't bad enough murdering history just adds insult to injury.
Someone spray painted, "Praise Zeus" on my totem pole. Blasphemous. They will surely burn in hell for eternity because my totem pole loves them.
How could any person do that who believes in a man who commanded his followers to forgive and love and turn the other cheek?
The Romans killed Jesus, not the Israelites. It's sad, you'd think that just being ignorant would be enough of a burden; but no, it must be complicated by vandalism and attacking the faiths of others.
You can't swing a dead cat in this world without hitting a stupid person.
Just lovely....
Why does the neighborhood get so mad every year when I put my Christmas diorama on the front lawn? Isn't my life-sized Santa sodomizing Jesus artistic?
I find it interesting that hardly ANYONE who lives in the "Holy Lands" is a Christian, but the Romans are huge fans.
Meh, seems the height of stupidity to hold a person or group accountable for the actions of their ancestors thousands of years ago, even apart from the absurdity of blaming every person from that group for the actions of a few.
Then again, the state of Israel is perfectly willing to lay claim to the part of the world it is located in based on the claims of their ancestors, be damned the state of turmoil the region would have been thrown in. If the state of Israel - and just the state of Israel, not anyone with Jewish ancestry - wants to benefit from 2000 year old claims, I don't feel a great deal of sympathy for them being held accountable for 2000 year old wrongs. But again, that's the state of Israel, and this article is about some anti Semitic jerkoff in Miami.
Good comments Steve.
Probably written by a person who tells Native Americans that he/she has nothing to do with the atrocities that happened centuries ago and even today.
But I DON'T have anything to do with those atrocities! What about the atrocities committed by the Indian's ancestors? --- Do we have a right to bring that up?
Fools - the Jews for-filled gods human sacrifice - vicarious redemption plan! Without the Jews the n Christians would not be saved???
(religion really does poison the mind)
I'm so glad god made me an Atheist.
This hateful act of a moron shows that the war on drugs still needs to be fought,or we need to spend more on mental health, wanna bet fox news and rush boy will label it free speech
It is freedom of speech! Bigotry, hatred, and blasphemy SHOULD NOT BE OUTLAWED!
Well at least they are admitting he is dead.
Jesus is spinning in his grave...
Is this some strategy for getting out?
So if Jesus never died the way he did would there be Christianity today??
The lamb of god. Even Jesus didn't like it. Check for your self.