Long Island faith leaders are planning a show of solidarity following a recent spate of anti-Semitic hate crimes across the New York Metro area, many of which proved violent.
The Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center is inviting the public — including those of all faiths and creeds — to a gathering on Friday at the JCC in East Hills, where attendees will be able to participate in projects to help the victims of recent attacks. Attendees will be able to coordinate plans to attend the the No Hate. No Fear. Solidarity March scheduled for Sunday at Foley Square in Manhattan.
“All are encouraged to join and participate in song, statements of solidarity, and social action to renew our connection and fortify our bond to one another,” the JCC said in a statement.
In a separate event, Long Islanders will also march from the corner of County Seat Drive and 11st Street in Mineola to the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building at the corner of Old Country Road and Franklin Avenue starting at 3 p.m. Jan. 12, with remarks slated for 3:40 p.m.
Recent anti-Semitic crimes include assaults in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community, a suspect allegedly stabbing five people at a rabbi’s house during a Hanukkah party in Rockland County, and racist graffiti found at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County in Glen Cove.
The incidents also prompted Nassau and Suffolk County leaders to join with the Holocaust center to form a Bi-County Coalition Against Hate and Bigotry last month.
“As a historical institution charged with the responsibility of educating about the hatred that led to the Holocaust, we are deeply aware of the fear these incidents create in the Jewish community, particularly among Holocaust survivors and their families, and the dangers that these acts of antisemitism pose to the broader society,” the Holocaust center said in a statement. “We ask all Long Islanders to stand together in a collective call for safety, unity, and tolerance.”
The gathering will be held at the Sid Jacobson JCC, 300 Forest Dr. in East Hills from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, visit sjjcc.org
