Thousands of people, some covered in Israeli flags and others singing Hebrew songs, poured into Lower Manhattan on Sunday, Jan. 5, in a show of solidarity for New York’s Jewish community in the wake of a spate of anti-Semitic attacks in the region. The violence has shaken the Jewish community in the New York area and underscored the startling rise of hate crimes across the country, the New York Times said.

The most recent attack occurred inside a Hasidic rabbi’s home in Monsey, NY, when a man wielding a machete stabbed at least five people who had gathered for Hanukkah celebrations. In December, a shooter opened fire at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City, NJ.

Demonstrators marched from Foley Square in Lower Manhattan, across the Brooklyn Bridge and into Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn, where community leaders spoke of unity in the face of anti-Semitism. The march was organized by UJA-Federation of NY, the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY, ADL-NY, AJC-NY, and the New York Board of Rabbis.

Days before the march, 90,000 Jews gathered at MetLife Stadium and 20,000 thronged to Barclays Center to mark a traditional religious celebration, known as the Siyum HaShas, or “completion of the Talmud,” which carried extra meaning in light of the recent attacks.

The number of hate crimes reported last year in New York City rose around 20 percent, compared to 2018, police said.                     [Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Associated Press]