Menorah Damaged on Central Street

The menorah outside the Chicago Mitzvah Campaign office on Central Street was severely damaged on Thursday.

The six-foot tall menorah across the street from Evanston Hospital and adjacent to the Central Street Purple Line station had its lights smashed and switches ripped out, according to Evanston Now and other sources.

It is being investigated by Evanston police as a possible hate crime, CBS-2-Chicago reports.

“The menorah’s lights were smashed and the switches were all ripped out,” the CMC’s director, Rabbi Aron Wolf, told CBS. “This wanton destruction of property is incredibly disheartening, and especially at this time of year, when we should be recognizing everyone’s right to celebrate holidays in a spirit of brotherhood and goodwill.”

Surveillance footage at the building didn’t show the menorah being damaged, but police are looking to see if other cameras at the hospital or CTA station may have recorded images of the offender.