Jewish communities in East London will no longer celebrate Hanukkah with their annual town hall menorah in a "difficult" decision made by a local city council.
The London Borough of Havering announced in a statement on Wednesday that the installation of the symbolic menorah has been canceled to avoid "possible vandalism or other action" against the city council and local residents.
"We appreciate this is a hugely sensitive issue, but in light of escalating tensions from the conflict in the Middle East, installing the candelabra now will not be without risk to the Council, our partners, staff and local residents. We would also be concerned with any possible vandalism or other action against the installation," Havering Council wrote in a statement.
It continued, "Due to an increase in the number of hate crimes in Havering, both towards the Jewish and Muslim communities and after consulting with the Leader of the Council, we believe it would be unwise to move forward with the installation, which could risk further inflaming tensions within our communities."
The statement follows the Community Security Trust (CST) reporting that there have been 1,124 reported antisemitic incidents from Oct. 7 to Nov. 7, the largest number of incidents to occur within a month since the organization began keeping records in 1984.
Since the Hamas terror attack against Israel in October, there have also been massive pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrations.
"When we started work on the installation no one could have foreseen the recent international events," the council acknowledged.
Local rabbis and political leaders have criticized the decision, but the council maintained this was not done as an act of antisemitism.
"Sadly, some are politicising this and making accusations of anti-Semitism. This is categorically untrue and such statements are likely to incite further unrest in our communities. The council flew the Israeli flag in solidarity following the heinous terrorist attack against the people of Israel and we continue to stand by our local Jewish communities," the statement read.
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Nevertheless, Romford Rabbi Lee Sunderland told Havering Daily, "This is an opportunity to stand up to the hostility that would silence Judaism or any form of diversity and celebrate it to its fullest. This may be a Jewish festival, but it is a lesson for the whole world and for every generation. Most especially, please let us celebrate this in public and begin to bring the citizens of Havering together now."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Havering Council for a comment.
