Jewish people must be vigilant but proud, area and faith leaders say

By Stephanie G. Meditz

Jewish people in Queens and beyond are grieving during the Festival of Lights, after Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in decades, which was named a terrorist act, killed 15 people and injured dozens more.

The Dec. 14 massacre took place on Bondi Beach in Sydney, as families celebrated the first night of Hanukkah. The victims’ ages ranged from just 10 to 87.

The news hit especially close to home for Rabbi Mendy Hecht, director of the Chabad of Forest Hills North. He hails from Australia, and his cousin was among those killed.

“It’s very hurtful,” Hecht told the Chronicle via phone Tuesday. “At moments like this, we just mourn, but at the same time, we also are not deterred.”

Rabbi Avrohom Richter of the Chabad of Howard Beach also had a personal connection to the tragedy, as he was in a Zoom study group with a rabbi who was slain.

“It was difficult coming into the holiday with such terrible news, waking up to that in the morning,” Richter said.

City Councilmember Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills), a member of the Jewish Caucus, said it is “really awful” that people celebrating the first night of Hanukkah were indiscriminately shot at in a clear act of antisemitic terrorism.

“It’s just heartbreaking that it had to come to this and more people had to give up their lives,” said Rivka Weinberg, the wife of Rabbi Zev Weinberg, of the Jewish Community Center-Chabad of Long Island City/Astoria.

Asked if he is concerned about similar incidents happening here, Richter said he “absolutely” is, and they have occurred already. While Hecht acknowledged it is scary to live in “a society of evil and hate,” he said he will not fear, as that is exactly what terrorists want.

Weinberg said she is not worried, as she believes God is always keeping watch, and Schulman said that while she is concerned about terror attacks across the globe, she takes comfort in knowing the NYPD is “second to none.”

But it is as important as ever to remain vigilant and prioritize safety.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a security briefing last Sunday that the NYPD has been in constant contact with its partners in Australia since the attack occurred. While police have not tracked any specific credible threats to Hanukkah events in the city, Tisch said, the NYPD has significantly increased security around them and Jewish houses of worship.

“I’m going to be blunt. This is not an isolated incident,” she said. “It is part of a wider assault on Jewish life, an environment in which hatred far exceeds rhetoric and erupts into horrifying acts of violence.”

Just last weekend, the menorah in Jackson Heights’ Travers Park was vandalized — according to a Facebook post by Rabbi Meir Pape of the Chabad of Jackson Heights, the menorah was found covered in foam spray last Saturday night. Pape told the Chronicle it was “obvious” someone targeted it and that it is permanently stained, although the visible mess was cleaned up.

“We did not allow this to dampen our spirits for a second,” he said, describing the neighborhood’s joyful, well-attended menorah lighting the next day. He even said he would like to challenge the vandal to have a conversation with him over coffee.

The consensus among the interviewed area and faith leaders is that Jewish people must remain proud and visible. Hecht said there was some pressure to cancel the Chabad of Forest Hills North’s annual Hanukkah event in Yellowstone Municipal Park, but he refused to cave in.

“We’re not going to falter, we’re not going to deter, we’re not going to become depressed. We’re going to spread more light,” Hecht said. Organizers made sure to boost security at the event, he continued, both because of the shooting in Australia and another at Brown University.

Schulman said she made a point to attend that celebration to show solidarity, and she also went to the City Council’s Hanukkah event Monday.

Richter said Howard Beach’s menorah lighting that had been planned for last Sunday was canceled, but only for inclement weather. It is scheduled to take place today, Dec. 18.

“We will never cower,” Richter said. “We’re going to continue to do what we need to do, openly and proudly.”

“We can’t do less than what we’re doing, because that means we’re giving in,” Weinberg said. “And if we give in, then they won.”

She said also that education and awareness are key to preventing future tragedies.

“People need to realize that all human beings are brothers and sisters, and one brother and sister cannot hate on another, regardless of who they are and what their background is,” she said.

And in the spirit of Hanukkah, Queens’ faith leaders have promised to continue spreading light in times of darkness. Every candle lit on the menorah brings light into the world, Weinberg said, as does every act of kindness that people perform.

“We dream the world can come to a place of true peace, so that there’s only positive light in the world and no hatred amongst people,” she said.

“We all have to stand strong, and we should not fear, and we will prevail,” Hecht said. “And hopefully that one light and so much more light will really banish this darkness.”

Link to story: https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/in-mourning-after-australia-shooting/article_58c2c3be-0a1f-58bf-8a34-99d40147fc7b.html