Chandler, AZ – Arizona Vandals Turn Family’s Giant Hanukkia Into Swastika

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    The Ellis family’s home at the beginning of Hanukkah, left, and early Friday morning when the menorah was vandalized, right. (Courtesy of Naomi Ellis)Chandler, AZ – When Naomi and Seth Ellis’ children asked for their own festive lights for the holiday season her husband went to work, building a hanukkia out of PVC pipes, setting it up in the yard of their Chandler, Arizona home.

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    What they found early Friday morning, instead of a 7-foot-tall hanukkia, was a newly formed swastika, The Washington Post reported.

    Early Friday officers responded to a call that the families hanukkia had been vandalized.

    Following an initial report, the officer that responded helped the family to take down the swastika.

    “We talk a lot about the importance of equality and tolerance, loving everybody no matter what,” Naomi Ellis explained.

    Ellis stated that she explained to her children that not everyone learns about the same things.

    “Some people are ignorant, and this is what they do.”

    Before the incident, despite learning about the Holocaust and Nazis, the Ellis’ three children, aged 5, 7, and 9, had never seen the Nazi party’s symbol.

    Naomi stated, “this is the real reality that we live in: People hate us for no reason or want us to feel scared for who we are.”

    “That’s not something I wanted to have to tell them.”

    Seth rebuilt the hanukkia Friday afternoon.

    The family invited the community to light the hanukkia together, Friday night.


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    3 Comments
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    BH_Baby
    BH_Baby
    7 years ago

    Must be Obamazer, that anti-Semite!

    ALLAN
    ALLAN
    7 years ago

    I saw another internet story of this where it said the PD considered this the act of vandals and not a hate crime. If that story is true, the PD needs to take a long hard look at what they’re thinking. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing, need to be found and punished to the fullest extent of the law.