With an NYPD patrol van parked outside and two armed, retired NYPD officers standing guard inside, a few dozen members of the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC), celebrated the second night of Chanukah with a holiday party at the Van Cortlandt Village-based center on Monday, Dec. 15.

 

Held on the third night of the holiday, according to an announcement for the event, it was open to people of all faiths and featured live entertainment, activities for children, raffles, as well as traditional holiday food, which included free potato latkes and jelly donuts.

 

The event, held at 3880 Sedgwick Avenue, marked the lighting of the second candle of the Menorah. During the ceremony, a young child was seen having the time of his life dancing, while singer Chaim Zadok performed some songs for the crowd.

 

Asked for a comment on the traditional celebration which followed a terrorist attack on a similar Chanukah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia that claimed the lives of 15 people and injured around 40 according to various news reports, “Noson,” a male member of VCJC for the last 7 years, said the Jewish community was broken hearted.

 

“But we’ve still got to celebrate,” he said. “We feel for them and it breaks our hearts that people can do something like that. Jews are a peace-loving people, and we want people to be happy, and we’re looking to live in peace. We’ve still got to celebrate the holiday even though these terrible things happen.”

 

After the event, Stuart Harris, another member of VCJC told Norwood News, “Yes, everybody seemed to enjoy themselves and we had food later on. Everybody sat down and had a good time. We had a raffle, and a number of people won prizes and everybody seemed happy.”

 

On the terrorist attack in Australia, which The Associated Press reported was carried out by a father and son, who opened fire from an elevated position at their targets, Harris said, “It’s a tragedy, and it’s terrible that these things keep going on all over the world, let alone Australia, London, and even in this country. And as vigilant as law enforcement or governments can be, these fanatics, they slip through the cracks, and they get to do what they’ve done. It’s terrible.”

 

On the topic of security at VCJC for the event, Harris said, “We had two armed, retired police officers inside and yeah, the 50^th Precinct provided auxiliary police to monitor things otherwise, so we felt safe, sure.”

 

As reported, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish, and other NYPD officials had held a press conference at One Police Plaza in Manhattan on Sunday, Dec. 14, to discuss security outside New York City synagogues, at Menorah lightings, and Jewish gatherings in the wake of the Bondi Beach mass shooting.

 

An apparent Muslim bystander identified as Ahmed El Ahmad, has been seen in footage tackling and taking down one of the gunmen, while in other released footage of the attack, numerous beachgoers are seen fleeing for their lives.

 

Adams condemned the “violence and terrorism” that he said had “engulfed” New York City, the country, and the globe, adding, “particularly antisemitism.” He continued, “We need to call it what it is. This was just not a random act of violence that took place. It was antisemitic and targeted Jewish people.”

 

The mayor continued, “We are surging NYPD counter-terrorism officers and critical response command. We did this periodically after the attacks of Oct. 7th, but let me be clear, we are doing this out of an over-abundance of caution. In Sydney, the police had a… what appears to be a slower response. I’m sure the investigation will determine what happened, but I do know this. Specialized units play a primary role and function to go and respond to terrorist attacks of this nature.”

In an apparent dig at Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Adams added that it was “ill-advised” to talk of dismantling the NYPD’s SRG (strategic response group) team, the same team he said went into 345 Park Avenue in Manhattan when a lone gunman took the lives of four innocent New Yorkers. Adams was referring to the mass shooting in July that resulted in the deaths of Det. Didarul Islam of the 47th Precinct in The Bronx, Julia Hyman, Wesley LePatner, who had both attended school in The Bronx, and Aland Etienne.

 

“It took the courage of a civilian to take down one of the shooters [in Australia]” the mayor said in reference to El Ahmad. “The country was lucky that the civilian was there. Public safety can’t be luck. Specialized units like SRG are trained for these encounters and this illustrates the necessity of the strategic response groups who are ready to respond to terrorist attacks on a mass scale.”

 

Adams said the Sydney attack did not come out of nowhere but was the consequences of Islamic extremism. “We have to be clear on that,” he said, adding that his remarks were “not an attack on Muslim brothers and sisters who carry out their faith every day, but it is the hijacking of their religion by Islamic extremists.” The mayor continued, “Words have meaning, words have impact, and words have power. Everyone needs to understand what words mean before they repeat them, before they shout them, before they defend them. That attack in Sydney is exactly what it means to globalize the intifada.”

 

As reported, it was reported on X that during a podcast interview with The Bulwark on June 17, Mamdani argued that the phrase “Globalize the Intifada” was an expression of Palestinian rights and refused to outright condemn it. He has since said he understands the phrase is interpreted differently by the Jewish population and discourages its use.

 

The mayor continued, in part, “Antisemitism has no place in our city, in our society, or in our world, and I will continue to fight for this community and all communities of this city, and for fellow brothers and sisters from the Jewish community.” Adams said for the past four years, his administration had stood by that community, not just as a mayor but “as an ally, as a father, and as a human being.”

 

Tisch said the Sydney incident had “no known nexus to New York City,” adding, “We are not tracking any specific credible threats related to Hanukkah events here.” She said it was still an active investigation, however, and that the NYPD had been in close contact with their NYPD liaison in Sydney, and with Australian police to assess wider implications for New York City, home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.

 

She said Australian authorities confirmed that a vehicle containing undetonated explosive devices was located at the scene and was believed to be linked to the suspects. She said one of the attackers is confirmed dead and the other injured, in custody, and hospitalized.

 

Tisch said that out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD was increasing security significantly around Hanukkah-related events, Menorah lightings, and Jewish houses of worship across the City. “As always, we will follow up on any tips, leads or intelligence and we are marshaling all available resources to ensure the safety of New Yorkers.”

The police commissioner continued, “I am going to be blunt; this is not an isolated incident. It is part of a wider assault on Jewish life, an environment in which Jewish hatred far exceeds rhetoric and erupts into horrifying acts of violence. Jewish communities are being forced to confront a threat that is persistent, active, and as evidenced yet again today, global in scope. That’s why the NYPD is acutely focused on prevention. We calibrate our presence to meet the threat, no matter where it lurks or [who] it targets.”

 

She concluded, “I want Jewish New Yorkers to know that the NYPD will always be there to protect Jewish communities’ right to worship freely, to gather openly, and to celebrate without fear.” She asked New Yorkers to remain aware and alert and to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.

 

Hen Mazzig, a freelance reporter with the BBC, The New York Times and other outlets, reported that a Jewish couple, Boris and Sofia Gunman, 69 and 61, have been identified as the couple who “heroically tried to stop the terrorist as he exited his car before the Chanukah massacre in Bondi Beach.”

 

He added, “The couple attempted to prevent him from opening fire. After several minutes of struggle, the gunman overpowered them, regained his weapon, and shot Boris and Sofia. Boris and Sofia’s selfless act of courage will never be forgotten. May their memories forever be a blessing.”

 

Closer to home, the Australian terrorist attack had followed a recent mass shooting at Brown University on Rhode Island, which resulted in the killing of at least two students, and the injuring of nine others, as well as multiple shooting incident at a sweet sixteen gathering in Brooklyn, resulting in the deaths of several teens. Authorities said they have detained a person of interest in relation to Rhode Island shooting.

 

Meanwhile, according to recent reporting by the BBC, sporadic attacks still disrupt an unstable US-led ceasefire that came into effect on Oct. 10. The outlet reported that the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for peace in the region required the return of all 20 living and 28 dead hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

 

About 1,200 people were killed in the attack and more than 250 people were taken hostage, as previously reported. All have been returned except for the remains of an Israeli police officer, Ran Gvili, 24, who is believed to have been killed while fighting Hamas gunmen in Kibbutz Alumim, the BBC added.

Since then, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action. Other media reports show cold and poor weather conditions, including flooding wreaking havoc on makeshift encampments, while reports of hunger and death continue.

 

As reported, VCJC has been sold for $4 million to Barone Management with promise of a new synagogue.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.