Chisinau – Moldovan Christians Tear Down Public Menorah [video]

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    Moldovan Christians tear down public menorahChisinau – Several dozens of people took part in an anti-Semitic manifestation in central Chisinau on Sunday.

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    The protestors who called themselves as “Orthodox Christians” said they will not let “Moldova be run by Jews.”

    The participants of the protest, which took place in Chisinau’s central park, chanted anti-Semitic slogans. They ripped the Jewish symbols put up in the park last Friday on the occasion of the Jewish Hanukkah holiday. The traditional Jewish candlestick was knocked down from the plinth and thrown to the pedestal of the monument to Moldovan ruler Stefan Cel Mare.

    The rally which lasted almost one hour also involved several people dressed as priests. Police did not interfere, though several patrols were keeping an eye on what happened.

    Officers from the Chisinau police commissariat arrived together with representatives from the Israeli Embassy later when the manifestation was already over.

    Activists from the Chisinau Jewish community were here last Friday to put up the Jewish symbols in the central park on the occasion of the Hanukkah festivities. The symbols were expected to remain their throughout the eight-day holiday period, they said.


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    96 Comments
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    Reality
    Reality
    14 years ago

    Respect is a two way street.
    Police? Where Nowhere. Shame.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    For those who’ll cry anti-semitism, I’ll say that it’s everyone right to express their likes or dislikes towards religions. And we liberals call this freedom of religion!

    Meir
    Meir
    14 years ago

    Good idea – put up a menorah in the heart of anti-semite country among people who made the country Judenrein. I’m shocked, shocked – at the response

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Why instigate antisemitism by putting menorah’s in these public places???

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    go tell me that everyone loves jews

    Chaim Braun
    Chaim Braun
    14 years ago

    What ever the case is those who tore down a monument is violating civil law and should be jailed!!!

    Brian
    Brian
    14 years ago

    Hate is part of their DNA. Centries of pogroms etc…

    PMO
    PMO
    14 years ago

    Does anyone know what the chazer with the microphone is saying? For that matter, does anyone know what the rest of these dogs are singing about?

    theydeserveit
    theydeserveit
    14 years ago

    Chabad is killing our reputation!!

    Chazal told us where and how to light the menorah!! Not in parks and city halls!! All this does is fuel the flames of antisemitism.

    I am ashamed that every year, around this time, all the headlines are filled with some menorah story or another. There are always lawsuits and the like. Is this Chabad’s idea of Parsumei Nisah? Don’t they realize we are in galus and must act in that way. Memorahs should be lit in our homes with our families, not in the public by some goyishe governor!!

    All that Chabad is trying to do is copy the Christians. Whatever they do with their trees, Chabad does with the menorah!! So when are they going to come out with a “Moshiach-clause”?!? This is getting out of hand. They have become way too similar to the Christians in too many ways!! OD MOSAY!!

    deep thinker
    deep thinker
    14 years ago

    #2 I agree with you. That’s exactly what the liberals are. They are thugs in the name of liberty. If you want to express your religion you can protest as much as you want but you can’t throw down the other free persons menorah. What kind of one sided freedom is that? All you liberals should be dumped in jail.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Before everyone attacks Chabad, this does not appear to be a Chabad menorah, it looks like the menorahs put up by Holocaust memorials all over eastern Europe.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    While I too question the wisdom of placing menorahs, etc. in public non-Jewish places, one thing is for sure: Moldovans aren’t ready yet for liberty’s blessings.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    HalAcha in shulchan aruch is clear thAt in times of golus you lght INSIDE these good intention Jews are causing much more harm and very little good.

    David
    David
    14 years ago

    Wow. If anyone in the world cared what Moldovans thought, that would be really offensive.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    There are countless areas of halachah where certain actions are discouraged or encouraged “meeshum aivah” (lit. due to hatred of Jews). Now along comes Chabad and ignores this vital concept on a yearly basis by placing large menorahs in the center of anti-semitic areas. I really don’t understand why they think they are smarter than chazal in this regard. While we are supposed to live and act like frum yidden, there is no basis or need to provoke the goyim to think that “the Jews are trying to take control.” We are in golus, it would do us well to remember that and to keep it in mind on a daily basis.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    #6 is 100% right – We are in galus and need to lie low. Stop being wise guys and “in your face” with our religion. There is absoutley no mekor for lighting in public places
    it is “ish ubeiso” for the home not the public thoroughfare. No need to show off and toot our horn saying Hey you goyim “WE ARE HERE LOOOK WE ARE HERE”
    It is infantile and causes much needless animosity. We need to adopt a “Hatznei leches” outlook and we’ll be a lot better off.
    Unfortunatley, because of these misguided naive jews that try to imitate the public christmas trees & displays, the rest of us that want no part of this we have to suffer the consequences.
    Of course I know that pro public menorah people will come back and say that it’s
    for kiruv etc. That is a load of crock – don’t be smarter than the shulchan oruch & chazal. Just put it in your widow follow the halacha – don’t oiber chachomim.
    By the way I’m all for kiruv but not by distorting a mitzva and agravating the goyim.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Almost 102 years ago, my family fled that city to escape the pogroms. One of my ancestors was a Rav there in fact. For all I know I might still have relatives there. I thank Chabad for reaching out to them. And for reaching out to all Jews everywhere, as we are all one family.

    formelly
    formelly
    14 years ago

    the most troubling thing about this story is the police stood by

    Asher Buchwalter
    Asher Buchwalter
    14 years ago

    The problem is the lack of knowledge of history. Originally Chisinau’s name was Kishinev and this city has the worst antisemitic history. Look up Kishinev and this city has history of blood libel, and the worst rishes. They are Ukrainians

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    i always say….we as a nation suffered more from the cross than from the arabs.
    this just goes to show you in a country where there are almost no Jews they still can’t stand us.
    I just wounder where the people loving pope stands on this….

    hmmm
    hmmm
    14 years ago

    I don’t know what the big stink is about, looks like they took care not to harm the menorah. watch the video they seem somewhat gentle with it. I don’t know why they were moving it..just a bunch of backward eastern europeans, old fools.. they are really to be pitied for their ignorance and backwardness. unfortunately, the next step from backward and ignorant is the old standard blame and kill jews.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    I’m not shocked at all. They have a huge reputation of anti-semitism. A hundred years ago it was killing our ancestors in bloody progroms, and today its more of a ‘limited’ way of expressing their hatred towards us.
    Let’s make peace with the fact. There’s a pusik that says ‘eisuv soinah l’yakov’. We won’t be able to change their views or minds. They will always hate us for its root is jealousy simply because we are the CHOSEN nation.
    Let’s be PROUD with it!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Looks like a bunch unemployed bored people trying to do something with their time. May God protect us all over the world, no one likes us.

    merkin
    merkin
    14 years ago

    these idiot peasants don’t realize that without the Maccabean Jews fighting for the survival of Judaism, they would still be in the woods roasting dogs for dinner and worshipping trees.

    Godol HaDor
    Godol HaDor
    14 years ago

    Ok ok now I agree, that’s it! I can’t this anti semitism anymore, we, in the USA, especially those unfortunate Jews who live outside large metropolitin areas with heavy Jewish population need to start keeping a low profile.
    All that stuff about wearing a yarmulke in the military and workplace is out.
    We neeed to start insisting that our kids stop wearing any identifiable jewish symbols, like in France, no yamulke or tzitzis outside, take off all idntifying marks of schools and shuls and restaurants like all over Europe, stop being so out in front of the Goyim.
    Now I get it. Ok guys spread the word.
    BTW, tha Am Haaretz who keeps on Hocking about takonas ChaZaL re sakonoh and “aivah” needs to start learning and understanding what sakona is, see rashi there about the “chaborim”
    Guys, bottom line is, we need to go back deeper into golus cus guess what?? I got news for you, there are goyim that hate us. So let’s do what yidden did all thru history and run!!!!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Coming from a non-Chabad viewpoint I find it very troubling that all you guys quoting some mamar chazal or whatever to prove your point that we should be hatzne leches mishum Aivah etc etc but denigrate your own Chazal when you disrespect Chabadniks for following their Rebbe as Chazal clearly instruct us as is a D’oraisa as well ‘Lo Sasur’ so how do you have such chutzpa and just downright indecency to talk like the way you do? If you have an issue with the public Menorahs take it up with their Rebbe but I think the Rebbe knew how to learn those areas in Shas about Aiva and the inyan pirsumi nisa better than you and your teachers which I don’t have high regard for anyway of they produced such a michutzof as you.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Does a zebra change it’s stripes. I am glad that they do not hide their true feelings.

    reb yid
    reb yid
    14 years ago

    interesting, and at the same time their burning incense to and worshipping a dead Jew, what idiots.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Moldova? Hey! That’s a real powerhouse of a country.
    LOL

    The Jewish Problem
    The Jewish Problem
    14 years ago

    Our problem is not the Goyim. We will overcome the anti-Semites, if not sooner then later.
    Our problem is with pathetic Jews who have a knee-jerk reaction to anti-semitism; that instead of faulting the anti-semites, they turn around and blame Jews.

    This is the typical mindset of the GOLUS jew, and what has kept us in Golus for 2,000 years: sinas chinom and groveling before the goy. When a Jew is beaten, they say, we should not have walked on this street, not gone with the yarmulke, not announced our Jewishness, maybe then, they won’t hate us. Jews in pre-war Europe also believed, if we cooperate, if we wont get them mad, they’ll spare us, they wont kill us, they wont hate us that much.

    Good grief, hasn’t 2000 years of groveling and blaming ourselves, of Jew- on- Jew finger -pointing taught us anything?

    Genug Shoin!!! Time for a little gaon Yaacov. Lets proudly state who we are and why we are. Chanukah calls for PIRSUMEI NISA, in other words, Chanukah DISPLAYS AND CHANUKAH PR.

    Time to get off the knees and start dancing and celebrating and rejoicing in our Yiddishkeit. Happiness is catchy.

    A Freilachen Chanukah!!.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    The story said that the Priests were Russian East Orthodox, not Roman Catholic. The Pope is trying to unify the East Orthodox with Rome based on news reports I have read in the news. Perhaps some macher with ties to East Orthodox should make an appeal for tolerance? It’s worth a try to help dilute hatred.

    Aharon Velvel
    Aharon Velvel
    14 years ago

    Oy, where are the Israelis when you need them?

    si girl
    si girl
    14 years ago

    What a beautiful monorah it was, What a shame! The majority of East Orthodox Moldovans are extremely primitive, It is very easy to manipulate them. I am sure that probably some idiot priest or not priest told them that Jews try to supress their religion and dominate the country. It was it. Tolerance is something that is way beyond understanding of the vast majority in this country since the most basic principals of civilization are unknown to these people. 99% of them think that Christ was Russian. Anti semitism is there but it is also complete darkness in their heads as well.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    chabad lights these menorahs, not for the goyim, but for those many yidden who are unfortunately, lost among the goyim. These lights have BH lit the neshamos of many yidden, and sparked their connection with Hashem, as it reminded them of their heritage. Yidden!! Be proud of your Jewishness! Being ashamed of it is your own self-created Golus. and defending these anti-semites is displaying your subjugation to them. Chabad’s work is admirable, may they continue stronger than ever, wth the Rebbe’s kochos.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Who or what is moldova? Never mind, I don’t even care enough to google it

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    MORE SOURCES FOR THE HALACHA POLICE:

    The Yalkut Yosef (204) brings down that by public gatherings where they daven Mincha & Maariv, one may light the menorah there also.

    The Piskei Teshuva (671:15) writes that there are those that permit lighting with a bracha at big gatherings in the city, since you would certainly find people that have not lit yet, and there’s no greater mitzvah of pirsumei nisa than this.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Wow, I really had no idea that there are solid sources for this Lubavitch minhag to light outside. Kol Hakavod, thanks to whomever posted.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    You say that Moldovans are dark minded but do not bother to ‘google’ and find out where aned what is Moldova! You would find out about its tricky history and that Moldovans are the most hospitable and tolerant people in the world. Both the pogrom last century and the icident this week were staged by people in politics who want to provoke hatreted. If you read the news you would find out that Moldova is going through difficult times, with political crisis and deep economic crisis. In deed, many representatives of Moldovan society condemned the terrible incident and the police is investigating the priest and some others.
    It’s easier to condemn and lable people as ” dark minded animals” than to educate people about the Jewish culture.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    why should we not be permitted to display our devotion openly. do we not share this planet? Israel is a jewish state, yet we allow christians to march down the villa d’rosa, we allow a mosque to remain on our holliest site we show endless respect for the other faiths that we live with. how would they feel if we curtailed their celebrations in our land?