Chanukah, the eight night Jewish holiday, began Thursday at sundown. After a rise in antisemitism across the country, state and faith leaders are looking to keep light at the center of the celebration.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said the hatred Jewish communities have been facing is serious, and vowed to continue to combat hatred.
“It’s been a challenge for members of the Jewish community, especially with the horrible rise in antisemitism,” Hochul said. It’s normally a time of light and joy and I want to make sure we continue to bring lights to everyone.”
Each night of Chanukah is marked with the lighting of candles on a menorah. Chabad Mineola’s Rabbi Anchelle Perl said the lights and menorah will serve as a reminder that light will triumph over darkness.
“Really in a certain sense, every human being carries a light inside of them,” Perl said. “When the light is used properly it brings kindness, it brings hope, it brings trust and it helps to make this world a wonderful home for all of us to live together.”
In a statement following an incident where shots were fired at Temple Israel in Albany, Hochul said she has directed state police and the New York National Guard to be on high alert:
“I am immediately directing the New York State Police and New York National Guard to be on high alert and increase the existing patrols of at-risk sites we had planned for the Hanukkah holiday, including at synagogues, yeshivas and community centers, and working closely with local law enforcement. This builds on the significant efforts we have taken to protect religious communities in the wake of the October 7 attacks. Make no mistake: the safety of Jewish New Yorkers is non-negotiable.
"Any act of antisemitism is unacceptable, and undermining public safety at a synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah is even more deplorable. As New Yorkers, we must stand united: this is not who we are. We reject hate, antisemitism and violence in all forms. And we have no tolerance for the forces of evil who are trying to tear our communities apart.”
