Earlier this year, the 13-foot-tall aluminum menorah at The Chabad House, a center for Jewish student life and community at San Diego State University, was destroyed, the target of a suspected hate incident.
But it will be replaced in time for Hanukkah, and with a menorah that is taller, stronger and brighter, according to Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah, who runs the house.
“It’s going to be a sign of hope, a sign of light fighting over darkness,” Boudjnah said.
Standing at 15 feet tall and weighing about 1,500 pounds, the new menorah is the culmination of months of financial donations from San Diego County members of various faiths and backgrounds, according to Boudjnah.
The previous menorah was destroyed in March when a person seen on security camera footage shook the menorah until it broke. The vandalism caused thousands of dollars in damage and marked the third time in two years that it had been harmed.
San Diego police said this week they are continuing to investigate the incident.
After hearing about the incident in April, a group of dozens of local philanthropists raised more than $60,000 to replace the broken menorah with one that wouldn’t be so easily damaged, according to San Diego resident Barry Soper, who organized the project.
“I heard about the (vandalism) on the news and, while I’m not affiliated with them, I felt it was horrible,” Soper said. “Regardless of if it had been a cross or other religious symbol, I would want to help.”
The new, steel menorah being prepped for shipping in Florida. The steel structure weighs 1,500 pounds and measures 15 feet tall.
(Courtesy of Barry Soper)
In addition to the new menorah, Soper worked with volunteers from the Knights of Columbus San Diego Chapter, a Catholic service organization, to paint the outside of The Chabad House and help redo the surrounding landscaping.
Paul DeMartini, a member of the Catholic organization and retired landscape designer, used his decades of professional experience to plan out the new foliage surrounding the building. His plan included plants and trees that celebrate the Jewish faith, he said.
For instance, DeMartini included within his plans olive trees, which are indigenous to Israel, and a pomegranate tree because the fruit is traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah, he said.
“I didn’t have any hesitation in seeing the value in the project,” DeMartini said. “They were victims of acts of violence, persecution and lack of goodwill from some in their community … and we wanted to be the counter message to those who would denigrate them.”
Volunteers from the East County Transitional Living Center, a Christian nonprofit based out of El Cajon, helped remove dead brush and level the soil around the house and old menorah in order to pave way for the new improvements.
“East County Transitional Living Center has received so much help and support from the community,” said Lori Stone, a spokesperson for the program. “We love giving back to our community when we can.”
And now, after months of fundraising, designing and forging, the landscaping is set to be done in the coming weeks and the steel menorah commissioned out of Florida is set to be delivered from the manufacturer’s warehouse just in time for The Chabad House’s Hannakuh celebration next month.
Boudjnah said the menorah’s arrival comes during a challenging time for Jewish students on SDSU’s campus, given the violence that broke out between Israel and Hamas last month.
“There’s so much emotion from both sides and there’s people that are scared, angry and upset,” Boudjnah said. “But this is something just so positive that gives everyone an excuse to be happy.”
Boudjnah said the community is invited to participate in the first lighting of the new menorah at The Chabad House on Dec. 7 at 4:30 p.m.
