TAUNTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A rabbi in Taunton recently worked to teach forgiveness to a teenager who vandalized a synagogue.
Justin Andrews, 15, was gifted a sapling by Rabbi Coleman Reboi on Monday. Reboi said Andrews has educated himself on the Jewish religion and formally apologized.
Andrews says he gave in to peer pressure when he spray painted anti-Semitic symbols on the synagogue last June. He was arrested, but Reboi said the charges were dropped at the request of the synagogue.
Reboi said forgiving him was best for the community.
“I could not let a young person go down the path that he was about to go through unless I tried the best that I could,” Reboi said. “Everybody deserves a second chance and when we when somebody apologizes and when someone forgives there’s a weight that comes off of you.”
Reboi said he hopes Andrews can use what he’s learned to educate the community.
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