Lewiston teen-ager charged with defacement of menorah

AUBURN – A 14-year-old Lewiston boy admitted that he destroyed a menorah at an Auburn synagogue but maintained that he was not motivated by religious bias, police said.

The juvenile, who was not identified because of his age, was charged with criminal mischief arising from the Nov. 10 vandalism incident at Temple Shalom and faces an appearance in District Court.

It was the second vandalism incident at the synagogue in as many years. In November 1998, the driveway entrance sign was spray-painted with anti-Semitic messages and eggs were thrown at the building’s doors.

In the latest incident, the boy’s motive “certainly wasn’t biased” or hate-related, Detective James Lawlor III said.

The detective said the boy and two other boys who accompanied him were unaware what a menorah was.

“They referred to it as the Hanukkah candle thing,” he said, and they didn’t even spell “Hanukkah” correctly.

Jim Platz, the president of the congregation, said the idea that the vandalism was not a hate crime may lessen the impact, but it’s still destruction of a sacred representation.

“Because it’s at a house of worship and a religious symbol, we can’t discount the nature of it,” Platz said.

The boy told police that he alone cut the ropes that held the candelabrum to its trailer before toppling it over, Lawlor said, and the two other boys stood nearby and watched. The two claimed that they had met the accused for the first time that evening.

The boy told police he was willing to do anything that the synagogue may demand.

“He seemed like a decent kid,” Lawlor said, noting that he had no criminal history.

Platz anticipated that the temple’s board would discuss what the boy could do for the synagogue if he was willing. For now, Platz had constructed a temporary menorah that was slightly smaller than the original.