Police open probe after woman blows out Tel Aviv mall Chanukah candles
Police opened an investigation on Friday after security camera footage showed a woman in Muslim religious garb blowing out Chanukah menorah candles at a Tel Aviv shopping mall.
When she didn’t know she was on camera.
When she didn’t know she was on Camera.
Genuinely hope she never finds employment again. What a foul pathetic person.
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) December 18, 2025
If the woman is identified, police are expected to charge her under Article 170 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes the desecration or damage of places of worship or sacred objects with the intent—or awareness—that the act could be viewed as an insult to a religion, Channel 12 News reported. The offense carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison.
In a video taken at the Weizmann City Mall, an indoor mall located next to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre (Ichilov Hospital), the woman in a hijab is seen approaching the chanukiyah and extinguishing the fourth-night candles. She then returns to finish the job after the central shamash candle reignites.
The woman filmed the act on her smartphone, and a male companion is seen clapping in response.
JNS
