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Thousands of Jews gather in Times Square to ‘Shine a Light’ on antisemitism
(New York Jewish Week) — Thousands of New Yorkers gathered in Times Square on Monday night to watch as performers, social media stars and elected officials celebrated the second night of Hanukkah while bringing awareness to the growing frequency of antisemitism.
The event, called “Shine a Light on Antisemitism,” was co-hosted by a range of Jewish groups, including UJA-Federation of New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League.
It featured appearances from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James and comedian Ariel Elias. Rapper Nissim Black and the cast of National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s “Fiddler On The Roof in Yiddish” performed.
Sharing the outdoor stage with a Hanukkah menorah and multiple elected officials, James called antisemitism “a malignant cancer” that must be wiped out.
Hochul, who said she has always supported the Jewish community, denounced “antisemitism in all of its forms.” The governor just introduced multiple initiatives to combat hate in New York, including a new unit in her office, stronger education programs and millions of dollars in security funding for synagogues.
As we light the @JCRCNY Menorah in Times Square, we send a clear message to the world that we are proud to stand with our Jewish neighbors!
New York wouldn’t be what it is today without our Jewish community. We’ll always support Jewish New Yorkers & stand up to antisemitism. pic.twitter.com/jeVhLVIFV5
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 20, 2022
Elias, who had a video go viral after someone threw a beer can at her while she was performing in a comedy club, spoke about how the incident ultimately felt antisemitic.
“What I was talking about was being Jewish and growing up in Kentucky,” Elias said. “But because antisemitism doesn’t always look the way it used to, it took a long time for me to connect the dots when it first happened.”
UJA-Federation CEO Eric Goldstein told the New York Jewish Week that putting on an event like this in a public place is important in order to show that Jews are standing up to antisemitism.
He added that “a really important piece of this is to live [a] proudly public, happy Jewish life.”
“Crisis shouldn’t define us,” said Goldstein, who also spoke at the event. “The goal here is not to simply have sound speeches, but to celebrate Hanukkah. This is a time to get together in celebration.”
The event, called “Shine a Light on Antisemitism,” was co-hosted by a range of Jewish groups. (Photo courtesy Jewish Community Relations Council of New York)
“Shine a Light” is an initiative of more than 80 North American Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, calling itself “a platform for organizations, companies, individuals and institutions to unite in shining a light on antisemitism in all its modern forms.”
The New York Police Department reported that antisemitic attacks in the city in November 2022 were up by 125% when compared to the same month last year.
A report from the Anti-Defamation League counted 2,717 antisemitic incidents across the country in 2021 — a 34% increase from the previous year, and the highest since it began tracking in 1979.
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The post Thousands of Jews gather in Times Square to ‘Shine a Light’ on antisemitism appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Pope Leo Says Those Who Wage War Are Thieves Stealing Away Our Peaceful Future
Pope Leo XIV looks on as he meets with Catholic religious education teachers attending a national meeting organised by the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, April 25, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Pope Leo on Sunday described those who wage wars and appropriate the earth’s resources as thieves who rob the world of a peaceful future, issuing a warning about the use of nuclear power on the anniversary of the Chernobyl reactor accident.
Ukraine is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear disaster on Sunday amid lingering fears that Russia’s four-year-old war could spark a repeat of the tragedy.
In his weekly address after the Angelus prayer, the Pontiff said the Chernobyl accident had left a mark on humankind’s collective conscience.
“It remains a warning over the use of ever more powerful technologies,” the Pope, who has just returned from a 10-day tour across four African nations, said.
“I hope that at all decision-making levels, wisdom and responsibility always prevail, so that atomic power can always be used to support life and peace,” he added.
Commenting on the Gospel of the day, which contained the metaphor of a sheep thief, Pope Leo said thieves came under many appearances, listing as examples “superficial lifestyles driven by consumerism,” prejudices and wrong ideas.
“And let’s not forget also those thieves who, by plundering the earth’s resources, by fighting bloody wars or feeding evil in whichever form, are simply taking away from all of us the chance of a future of peace and serenity,” he added.
Leo, the first US pontiff, has attracted the ire of President Donald Trump after becoming more outspoken against war and despotism.
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UK’s Starmer and Trump Discuss ‘Urgent Need’ to Restore Shipping in Strait of Hormuz
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump (not pictured) hold a bilateral meeting at Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 28, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump discussed the urgent need to get shipping moving again in the Strait of Hormuz during a call on Sunday, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“The leaders discussed the urgent need to get shipping moving again in the Strait of Hormuz, given the severe consequences for the global economy and cost of living for people in the UK and globally,” the spokesperson for Starmer’s office said in a statement.
“The prime minister shared the latest progress on his joint initiative with President (Emmanuel) Macron to restore freedom of navigation,” the spokesperson added.
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Palestinian Leader’s Loyalists Win Local Elections, Including Some Seats in Gaza
A Palestinian man votes during the municipal election at a polling station in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip April 25, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Loyalists of President Mahmoud Abbas won most races in Palestinian municipal elections, election officials said on Sunday, in a vote that for the first time in nearly two decades included a city in the Gaza Strip run by rival Hamas.
Saturday’s ballot marked the first elections of any kind in Gaza since 2006 and the first Palestinian polls since the Gaza war began more than two years ago with Hamas’ cross‑border attack on southern Israel.
Abbas’ West Bank–based Palestinian Authority (PA) said the inclusion of the Gaza city Deir al‑Balah, which suffered less damage than other areas of the coastal territory during the war, was intended to show that Gaza was an inseparable part of a future Palestinian state.
The elections, in which voter turnout was low, had been held “at a highly sensitive moment amid complex challenges and exceptional circumstances,” Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said as results were announced on Sunday.
But they represented “an important first step in a broader national process aimed at strengthening democratic life … and ultimately achieving the unity of the homeland,” he said.
POSSIBLE INDICATOR OF HAMAS SUPPORT
Hamas, which ousted the PA from Gaza in 2007, did not formally nominate candidates in Gaza and boycotted the race in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Fatah’s victory was widely expected.
But some candidates on one of the Deir al-Balah lists were widely seen by residents and analysts as aligned with the movement, making the vote a potential indicator of support for the Islamist group.
Preliminary results showed that the list, known as Deir al‑Balah Brings Us Together, won only two of the 15 seats contested in Gaza.
The Nahdat Deir al‑Balah list, backed by Abbas’ Fatah party and the Western-backed PA, secured six seats. The remaining seats were won by two other Gaza-based groups, Future of Deir al‑Balah and Peace and Building, not affiliated with either faction.
Abbas loyalists swept the election in the West Bank, running unchallenged in many seats.
Fatah spokesperson Abdul Fattah Dawla noted that turnout was close to that for the last municipal elections in the West Bank, in 2022, praising voters for participating despite ongoing violence by Israel.
“By electing figures linked to Fatah, voters appear to be seeking unrestricted international support for municipal governance and a gradual political shift that could extend beyond the local level,” said Palestinian political analyst Reham Ouda.
The recent war has left much of Gaza reduced to rubble, with many residents displaced and focused on survival. Israel has continued conducting strikes despite an October ceasefire.
In Gaza, voter turnout reached just 23 percent, while in the West Bank it was 56 percent, according to Chairman of the Central Elections Commission Rami al‑Hamdallah.
Al‑Hamdallah said some of the ballot boxes and voting equipment did not make it into the enclave because of Israeli security restrictions, though those challenges were overcome.
Hamas’ Gaza spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, downplayed the significance of the election results, saying that they had no impact on wider national issues.