300-pound menorah stolen from Boston-area synagogue and later recovered

A 300-pound menorah is stolen from the entrance of a Boston-area synagogue and found hours later dumped about a mile away.

The six-foot-tall menorah that had been on display at the entrance to Temple Emeth in Brookline, Massachusetts since 1948 was ripped from its base sometime on Tuesday night. It was discovered by police at about 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

The menorah was damaged in the incident.

Brookline Police tell the Boston Herald that it may have been targeted by scrap metal thieves, but that they have not ruled out a hate crime.

Rabbi Alan Turetz tells the newspaper that the giant menorah represents the light of the Jewish people. “It is emblematic of the [ancient] temple [in Jerusalem]. The menorah is biblical, emblematic of the Jewish people … This temple represents the highest priorities native to the Jewish tradition — the practice, belief and desire to spread light to all good people. It is so desperately what we need in 2018,” he says.

— JTA