Menorah vandalized at SDSU Chabad House

The iconic menorah in front of the Chabad House near San Diego State University was damaged by somebody doing pull-ups on it, but the resident rabbi there said he does not believe it was a hate crime.

“It was just kids having fun and not anti-Semitic,” Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah said about the incident at the Jewish student center. “We could quietly settle this and have them apologize and do community service.”

One of the students who lives in the house at 6115 Montezuma Road got the license plate of a car involved in the incident early Friday morning, and Boudjnah said a San Diego police officer has told him University of San Diego students may have been responsible.

Boudjnah said police have set up a meeting with the USD students Thursday, and he hopes they will apologize and offer to pay for repairs or to replace the menorah, which could cost $4,000.

The incident happened around 2 a.m. Friday, but Boudjnah said a group of young men had been spotted a few times earlier that night at the menorah. He said he believes groups of USD students may have repeatedly come the Chabad House as part of a fraternity prank or initiation involving using the menorah as gym equipment.

One of the menorah’s lower branches apparently broke off as one of the men attempted a pull-up. San Diego Jewish World reported that a Chabad House residents who came out to investigate heard one of the men say, “Here come the Jews” before they all ran off.

Boudjnah told Jewish World that the comment made him wonder about the motivation behind the incident, but after talking to police and hearing the people involved are apologetic, he believes it was an accident. He said he would like to talk with the men who may be responsible to be certain.

“I have nothing to gain by pressing charges, unless it’s somebody who’s really hateful and wanted to do something bad,” he said.

Still, Boudjnah said he is taking the vandalism seriously, whether or not it was intentional.

“Symbols have meanings, and the menorah is a symbol of life and a symbol of pride for Jewish people,” he said. “And in the college area, it’s a symbol that a lot of people see as they drive by.”

Boudjnah said he has received many calls and e-mails from people who are angry about the damage.

“I try to keep a level head, but a lot of people are very angry and very upset,” he said.

A menorah has been in front of the Chabad House for about 40 years, and the 13-foot one in front of the center was put up about four years ago after a car ran into one that had been there.

“The Chabad House is known for this,” Boudjnah said. “The building with a big menorah.”

The menorah’s broken branch has been re-attached, but the electric wires that connect to lights have not been fixed and there is damage to its core, so it’s unclear whether it can be repaired or have to be replaced, Boudjnah said.

Boudjnah also said the Chabad House has good relations with USD, and he does not want the incident to be misinterpreted.

It has, however, already gained national attention. The conservative website Brietbart.com wrote about the vandalism with the headline, “Vandals attack Jewish center at anti-Israel campus.”

The story referred to the New York-based Jewish news organization Algemeiner listing SDSU in the top 40 “worst college campuses for Jewish students in the nation” last December. It also mentioned that SDSU is featured in a new documentary, “Hate Spaces: The Politics of Intolerance on Campus.”

Michael Rabkin, executive direct of the local Hillel chapter, called the Algemeiner list absurd when it was released.

Boudjnah said he hopes the people responsible have learned a lesson, but he doesn’t want them labeled as being anti-Semitic.

“I hope they realize it wasn’t something funny,” he said. “It’s something that hurt us and the Jewish community. And in the future, they’ll be more careful when going onto someone else’s property.”

SDSU named one of ‘Worst colleges for Jewish students’ »

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

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