The Jewish community in Moldova gathered on Friday at the Holocaust Memorial in Chisinau to mark the end of the eight-day Hanukkah celebrations. Alexander Pinchevsky, a leader of the Moldovan Jewry, said attendance was “a duty”, despite the incident that marred the start of the celebrations when a crowd led by an Orthodox priest vandalized a menorah in downtown Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. “Hanukkah is a symbol of religious freedom, the triumph of human values, a proof of tolerance and mutual respect in society”, says Pinchevsky. “This year Hanukkah celebrations started very fine when we lit the first candle in Europe's Square. But unfortunately the celebration was marred by certain destructive forces. It was a very ugly display of antisemitism. However we continue celebrating and remain in high spirits. In fact, we celebrate every holiday with merriment”. During Hanukkah, also called the Feast of Dedication, candles are kindled on the nine-branched candelabrum, or Hanukiah, in memory of the Jews that fought for liberty roughly two thousand years ago, marking the re-dedication of the Temple at Jerusalem after its desecration by the Syrian emperor Antiochus. On December 13, a group of Orthodox Christians vandalized the Hanikuah installed in central Chisinau, calling it “an anti-Christian symbol” and claiming that it hurt the religious feelings of the majority population. The government as well as civil society later condemned the assault.