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Sex abuser's name on Trafalgar Square menorah despite conviction

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One of the community’s largest public menorahs carries the name of a strictly Orthodox man who abused a schoolgirl.

Father-of-six Menachem Mendel Levy was sentenced to a three-year jail term for two counts of sexual assault in 2013 .

But his name has remained on the giant Chanuciah used for the Chanucah in the Square event in London’s Trafalgar Square despite his conviction.

Levy abused Yehudis Goldsobel when she was 14 years old. Following his conviction Ms Goldsobel waived her anonymity to tell her story in the JC .

Her abuser, a builder, had designed, built and presented the Chanuciah before his conviction and his name has remained on a plaque ever since.

Ms Goldsobel said she felt "uncomfortable" when she attended the celebration last Thursday.

In a Facebook post, she wrote: “I absolutely love Chanucah and tend to participate in communal events and lightings. The big event in Trafalgar Square has a fantastic atmosphere and vibe. Yet the actual Menorah was designed by the person who sexually abused me as a teenager.

“He was convicted in court and sentenced to prison yet his name is still on the massive plaque on the menorah.”

The Chanucah in the Square event is organised by the Jewish Leadership Council and London Jewish Forum.

The Chanuciah was lit during the capital’s largest celebration last Thursday. The event included a performance by renowned acappella group The Maccabeats and thousands of doughnuts were handed out.

Around 7,000 guests including the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, MP Louise Ellman and JLC chief executive Simon Johnson.

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