'Despicable act': Official condemns antisemitic vandalism in downtown Miami

Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald on Dec 23, 2025

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MIAMI — A man who was caught on video destroying a menorah in downtown Miami Monday night has been detained, according to Miami police.

In a video shared by county officials, a man with a backpack can be seen charging at a lit menorah, wrestling with it and then slamming it to the ground, causing the light bulbs to break and scatter on the sidewalk. The incident happened around 7 p.m, according to police, and is currently being investigated.

The menorah was displayed as a part of a Hanukkah ceremony that took place in front of the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector’s office at 200 NW Second Ave. Monday was the last day of Hanukkah.

Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez denounced the act, calling it “despicable” and an “attack on faith, perseverance and unity.”

“We cannot allow this kind of behavior in our community,” Fernandez told the Miami Herald. “The only way to fight darkness is with light.”

Fernandez said this was the first time that his office publicly commemorated the eight-day Jewish holiday as a way to show support and inclusion for the various faiths of his constituents. Despite the antisemitic act, Fernandez said that his office would continue with the tradition in future years.

“To every Jewish family in our community, we stand with you, we support you, and we will always defend dignity, respect, and freedom of faith,” Fernandez wrote in a statement.

One moment that gave him hope, Fernandez said, was that after the vandal left, a good Samaritan who witnessed the incident came by and lifted the menorah back upright.

The act of vandalism comes at a time when anti-Jewish hate is on the rise in the United States and around the world.

South Florida Jewish communities are still mourning the recent mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people, including two rabbis and a Holocaust survivor.

Last week, more than a dozen Miami mayors gathered to call attention to rising levels of antisemitism and pledge their commitment to taking action against discrimination and hate in the community.

Rabbi Yossi Harlig, who presided over the Hanukkah ceremony last week, called the incident “heartbreaking” and “deeply disturbing.”

“To vandalize a menorah — a symbol of light, unity, and hope — is not just an act of destruction, but a painful statement about the hatred and intolerance we are confronting,” Harlig said in a statement.

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