Fundraising campaign aims to replace symbolic structure quickly

The menorah that sits outside the Chabad Jewish Center at the University of Kansas was vandalized sometime between late Friday evening, Feb. 4, and Saturday morning, Feb. 5.

“We had a lot of people here for Shabbat and we know for sure it was here at 10:30 p.m. Friday night and it was gone at 10 a.m. the next morning,” said Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, co-director of the center along with his wife, Nechama.

Anytime a religious institution is vandalized, Rabbi Tiechtel explained that the act is usually considered a hate crime. He believes, however, that intent must be taken into consideration before this vandalism can really be classified as a hate crime.

“We’re located right in the center of a college town right off campus. Friday night is a time for partying and in the past we’ve had minor incidents where students have done stupid things,” he said.

More importantly, Rabbi Tiechtel said the vandals didn’t leave anything on the property or leave any graffiti.

“Based on that, we’re thinking it’s just a prank from some wild students. But we don’t know. The investigation is still pending.”

KU Chabad was established in the fall of 2006. Rabbi Tiechtel said the 6-foot-tall metal menorah was broken into two pieces horizontally and many of the branches were taken from the site.

“It’s not easy to take it apart. You need two or three people and you have to cut some wire as well. It’s stuck in the ground so you can’t take the menorah itself,” Rabbi Tiechtel explained.

While the original menorah cost about $1,000, Rabbi Tiechtel estimates it will take $2,000 to replace it.

“We want a bigger, better and brighter menorah,” Rabbi Tiechtel said. “We want one that’s 8 feet or maybe even higher.”

A fundraising campaign is already being spearheaded by senior students Megan Singer, a Kansas City native, and Leah Levy and Rachel Kraig, both of Skokie, Ill. Singer said it’s important for Chabad to have a menorah.

“It’s a symbol that every person who goes down 19th Street sees. The menorah stands outside the Chabad House to show it’s a place where any Jewish person is welcome. If there is not a menorah outside the Chabad House, it will not be easy to find,” Singer said.

Rabbi Tiechtel said a student committee is exploring many options for a replacement menorah, including having it made in Lawrence and getting some KU students involved in the design or construction.

KU Chabad is using this opportunity to gather the community together.

“We believe that the greatest way to fight negativity is with positivity. It is so important to us that such an act should not breed even further negative feelings,” the rabbi said.

“We’ve gotten tremendous feedback and received very nice notes from other congregations in town and members of the community,” he continued.

KU Chabad hopes a new menorah is in place soon.

“Many people who don’t come to Chabad regularly look at it every day and it means something to them, too,” Rabbi Tiechtel said. “We don’t want to wait too long. We don’t want the darkness to be there any longer.”