Viral video of Chanukah candles extinguished in Tel Aviv mall prompts police review

A video circulating on social media showing a woman deliberately extinguishing Chanukah candles inside a Tel Aviv shopping mall has sparked condemnation and prompted a police review.

The incident took place at the Weizmann Mall near Ichilov Hospital and is reported to have occurred late at night after the shopping centre had closed. Footage shows the woman blowing out the candles of a lit menorah while filming herself. Another individual is seen clapping in the background.

The video was later uploaded to social media with a caption suggesting the woman believed the mall was empty at the time. The footage has since circulated widely in Israel and internationally.

According to Canadian Jewish outlet TheJ.ca, Jewish community figures said the incident should be viewed as a matter of individual responsibility rather than collective blame. One community leader quoted by the outlet said: “This is about individual responsibility. It is about drawing a clear line that religious desecration is unacceptable in a society built on mutual respect.”

The outlet also reported a reaction focusing on the symbolism of the act itself. A Jerusalem resident who shared the video was quoted as saying: “Chanukah is about light overcoming darkness. Trying to blow out those candles in the dark of night says more about the person doing it than about us.”

Jewish organisations have stressed that lighting Chanukah candles is a religious obligation and that menorahs displayed in public or commercial spaces retain their religious status.

Legal analysts cited in Israeli media said the incident could fall under laws relating to religious offence or vandalism, depending on the ownership of the display and intent. Police have not confirmed whether a formal investigation has been opened, but incidents involving interference with religious property are typically reviewed.

The incident comes amid heightened concern over antisemitic attacks targeting Jewish gatherings and symbols, following the fatal shooting at a Chanukah celebration in Bondi, Sydney, earlier this week, in which 15 people were killed.

As of publication, no arrests or charges had been announced.