Amid the heated debates generated by the Hamas-Israeli war, the increasing criticism of Israel for its unrelenting attacks against civilians, and the ensuing rise in antisemitism, public displays of Hanukah have become a concern.
After the week-long truce that started on November 24 ended, Israel’s attacks on Gaza resumed with even more firepower, drawing criticism from global leaders and the UN and generating more pro-Palestinian protests. Nearly 16,000 Palestinians have been killed and most of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced.
USA Today reports that in Rochester, Minnesota, a Hanukkah song was cut from a holiday concert after the school’s choir teacher and students expressed concerns about appearing partisan in light of the ongoing war.
In the Portland, Maine, suburb of Westbrook last week officials removed a Star of David, which is featured on the Israeli flag, from a holiday display and replaced it with a dreidel after complaints from the Arab American community. “We are seeing rising incidents of members not feeling safe,” said Tyler Gregory, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area.
But while some communities are rethinking the display of Jewish symbols, Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, asserts that “It’s vital to never forget what makes being Jewish so joyful and encourage everyone to celebrate openly.”
Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Federations of North America, the New York-based body representing 300 independent Jewish communities nationwide, also said public display of Hanukkah lights is an important part of the holiday tradition.
“Throughout our history, our community has had to balance whether to uphold that tradition in times of danger and adversity,” Fingerhut said.
Paul Rockower, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix, said, “There are certainly folks taking extra precautions, and perhaps some individual murmurings of concern,” but otherwise the community was prepared to mark the holiday “in full joy of the season, and not hiding displays.”
Antisemitism in the United States had been on the rise since 2016. The eruption of the Hamas-Israeli war has only intensified it. The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organization, last year recorded 3,697 such incidents, a 36% increase over 2021 and the highest number on record since the group began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979.
Increased security measures such as armed guards and metal detectors have been adopted by Jewish institutions for years, stepped up after 9/11 and events such as the 2018 mass shooting that claimed the lives of 18 worshippers at a Pittsburgh-area synagogue.
“Thanks to years of investment we’ve made to ensure that our communities know how to secure themselves, we are hearing many Jews say it’s particularly important to proudly display their menorahs and bring more light into this dark time,” said Fingerhut, of the Jewish Federations of North America.
