Police have closed their investigation after a Hanukkah menorah was damaged in Muswell Hill, north London. The Metropolitan Police had initially treated the incident as religiously aggravated criminal damage, but determined the damage was caused by wind.
Menorah Damaged by Wind
The menorah, erected by the Crouch End Chabad to mark Hanukkah, was blown over by strong winds, causing the lights to smash as it fell, according to BBC photographer Jeff Overs, who witnessed the incident. Overs said it had been “lashing rain and wind” when the menorah fell on Thursday afternoon.
Rabbi Boruch Altein from the Crouch End Chabad said the menorah would be repaired and relit on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said officers were alerted to the damaged menorah by a member of the public at approximately 19:35 GMT on Thursday. After speaking to local people, police concluded there was no evidence of intentional damage and closed the investigation.
The incident follows two vandalism incidents in December that targeted Hanukkah menorahs in London, which the Metropolitan Police is treating as religiously aggravated hate crimes. Investigations into those separate incidents remain ongoing.
Recent Hanukkah Vandalism and Sydney Shooting
On December 14, 15 people were killed in a mass shooting at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. In the days following, the Met Police received reports of a painting of a menorah being damaged with white paint in Notting Hill and another menorah in Shepherd’s Bush being damaged so it would no longer light up.
Some Muswell Hill residents had expressed concern that the damage to the menorah was racially motivated. Local resident and City of London councillor Jason Groves, who has friends in the Bondi Jewish community, said it had been “particularly distressing to see an act so hate-filled close to home that soon after the atrocity in Australia.”
The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which protects British Jews from antisemitism and terrorism, called the vandalism of Hanukkah menorahs in London “appalling and disgraceful, particularly in the wake of the horrific terror attack in Sydney.” The CST added that the story of Hanukkah is one of light and hope, and Jewish people should be free to celebrate this holiday without fear or hatred.
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