This Hanukkah, rise in antisemitism fuels concerns over public display of lit menorahs

During a year in which antisemitism has spiked around the nation — including on Long Island, where this summer flyers invoking age-old anti-Jewish tropes were tossed onto lawns and driveways — Rabbi Levi Gurkov of the Chabad of Oceanside has been fielding a version of the question Jews have grappled with for time immemorial: Is it safe to be publicly Jewish?

This winter, the dilemma has flared over the display of the Hanukkah menorah, the candelabrum with a flame for every night that Jewish law says must be publicly displayed after being lit. 

“Unfortunately in the last couple weeks, people did ask me — do they have to display it? They live in an area where they don’t want to be noticed. They don’t want to make that wave,” Gurkov said of some Long Islanders in Oceanside and Rockville Centre. “And my only answer is always, the more resolute you are, the more proud you are, by just doing the right thing, that stands to shed more light into the world. Don’t shy away.”

Hanukkah is the annual Jewish holiday, which begins this year Sunday at sundown and lasts eight nights, commemorating how a small, outnumbered army of Jews, known as the Maccabees, defeated the ancient Greeks, who occupied Israel more than 2,200 years ago and sought to impose a Hellenistic lifestyle. Upon victory, according to tradition, the Jews found only enough holy oil to fuel the menorah in the temple for a day. But the oil burned for eight days and nights.

Antisemitic flyers on LI

It wasn't the first time Jews have persisted through tough times.

Earlier this year, the Anti-Defamation League reported that antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high in the United States, totaling 2,717 instances of assault, harassment and vandalism being reported to the organization. That is the highest number on record since tracking began in 1979.

On Long Island, the antisemitic flyers were tossed onto homes in Rockville Centre, Oceanside and Long Beach and some of the flyers mirror the smears Hitler expressly cited in the run-up to the Holocaust.

Last month, former President Donald Trump hosted a white supremacist Holocaust denier at his Mar-a-Lago home. Another guest, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, has expressed love for Adolf Hitler. In October, Nets star Kyrie Irving promoted an antisemitic film on social media.

And in New York City, antisemitic attacks more than doubled last month from a year ago, according to the NYPD.

The historical parallels aren’t lost on Midway Jewish Center’s rabbi, Joel Levenson, who noted how Jews have long had to cope with virulent antisemitism, particularly during ancient, medieval and modern times.

“This holiday comes at the darkest time of the year, where the sun sets at the earliest point in our area, reminding us that even when there is darkness, that we can bring light into the world,” he said. “And this year more than, unfortunately, recent years, we need to shine a light on acts of antisemitism in the greater New York area, and around the country, and on any acts of, ultimately, hatred and bigotry.”

And on Long Island in 2022, he said, “we are talking about the importance of being proud of who we are and proud of our heritage, proud of our traditions, and to not be shy about putting that menorah in our windows so that those who come by on the streets will know who we are.”

The rabbis noted how across Long Island, there would be public menorah lightings and displays; several are sponsored by local governments.

Publicizing the miracle

Rabbi Michael Stanger of the Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation hears echoes of the Hanukkah story in modern-day antisemitism, particularly in parts of the world where Jews fear being openly Jewish and worry about displaying the menorah, called the Hanukkiah in Hebrew. One of the central themes of Hanukkah is "pirsumei nisa," or "publicizing the miracle" through that display. 

“What’s ironic, too, and what’s a tragedy, too, is that Hanukkah is about displaying the Hanukkiah in your window, so that every Jew sees and remembers the miracle, and also remembers what night it was, what night is,” he said. He added: “That Jews are afraid to do this now, to me, is not just the greatest irony, but the greatest tragedy. Antisemitism is almost like a type of virus. It mutates, sometimes it hides, sometimes it’s withdrawn a little bit, but eventually, somehow it always seems to come back.”

Rabbi Susan Elkodsi of the Malverne Jewish Center and president of the Long Island Board of Rabbis will be enjoying the holiday by lighting candles and eating latkes — the potato pancake made with oil to celebrate the holiday.

“I think that one of the messages of Hanukkah is that we need to be proactive when it comes to standing up against hate, and not allowing ourselves to operate out of fear,” she said. “We need to be safe, but not hide our lights under the proverbial bushel.”

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.