Local

With less than two months before the special election to fill the seat covering Long Island’s North Shore and the northeast corner of Queens, Democratic candidate Tom Suozzi flew to Israel on a solidarity visit as he seeks to regain his former seat.

In contrast to the anti-Israel crowds who have been making daily appearances at some of New York’s most recognizable landmarks, most readers of this publication have jobs and families to support. We have little time available for rallies in the streets, and we know that doing so will not result in as much news coverage or social media attention. When public opinion polls show diminishing support for Israel and growing sympathy for a ceasefire that keeps Hamas in power, the rally in Washington appeared to have another goal in mind.

  The uptick in anti-Semitic incidents that followed the Hamas attack on Israel was evident in West Hempstead this past Halloween, when a minivan was sprayed with anti-Semitic words, and last month when a Chabad menorah was vandalized. Damage done to posters of captives held by Hamas also worried residents that such behavior could indicate potential for violence against people.

As the college Jewish scene is concerned, Queens College is unique for having a sizable Jewish student body on a campus located next to a thriving Jewish neighborhood. Since 2004, Rabbi Shaul and Tzipah Wertheimer have been on campus to strengthen Jewish observance among students, splitting their events between on-campus spaces and their attached home on 69^th Avenue.

At public spaces worldwide, Chabad shluchim set up straight-arm menorahs that fulfill the mitzvah of publicizing the miracle and informing passersby that there is a Jewish community nearby. In the aftermath of the war in Gaza that inspired anti-Semitic incidents throughout the Jewish diaspora, public displays of Chanukah will be more ambitious, seeking to boost confidence among Jews.

The news of Hamas breaching the Gaza border and pouring into Israel was whispered among the shuls on Sh’mini Atzeres as people heard their voicemails and saw their screens light up with messages from relatives in Israel. Others heard about it from the security guards posted at the entrance.