ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – In the wake of a deadly antisemitic terror attack in Sydney, Australia, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed for News 6 Monday it is increasing patrols at synagogues and other Jewish organizations in the area.
“The state of antisemitism is at an all-time high,” said Eric Robbins, the interim CEO of Shalom Orlando.
Robbins spoke with News 6’s Mike Valente Monday, ahead of the second night of Hanukkah.
He said he had recently visited Bondi Beach, where the attack unfolded while crowds were gathered at a Chabad event to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.
“I was brought back to the beach,” Robbins said, recounting how he felt after learning about the attack that killed more than a dozen people. “But also, I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, about a mile from Tree of Life.”
The Tree of Life shooting in 2018 was the site of the deadliest antisemitic shooting in American history, unfolding as Jewish congregants prepared for Shabbat services.
“So I was brought back to that, too,” Robbins said. “It was almost like a re-live of that trauma.”
As Robbins and other Jewish leaders in central Florida absorbed the news of the latest antisemitic attack, they crafted statements to deliver to Jewish people in their communities. In those statements, they acknowledged the very real scourge of Jewish hate, but also encouraged people to take part in celebrating the first night of Hanukkah in public.
“You don’t chase darkness away with a stick,” said Rabbi Dovid Dubov. “You chase away darkness with light.”
Rabbi Dubov is with the Chabad of Greater Orlando. He spoke to News 6 as a band played Hanukkah songs behind him in the main terminal of Orlando International Airport.
“Today we’re demonstrating publicly what Jewish pride is all about,” Dubov said. “And just like the Maccabees fought for it back then, we’re demonstrating it here today.”
Hanukkah, known as the Festival of Lights, celebrates the victory of the Maccabean revolt over their Syrian-Greek rulers, who tried to eradicate Jewish customs and practices.
The story of Hanukkah holds that after the Jewish people took back control of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, they found one jar of oil, which ended up providing light for eight days — hence the celebration of Hanukkah for eight nights.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office sent News 6 the following statement in response to our questions about security in light of the Bondi Beach attack:
“The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is committed to ensuring that people of all faiths feel safe worshiping in Orange County.
Yes, we are increasing patrols nears synagogues and places of worship or gathering in the wake of the horrible tragedy in Sydney. We have very close relationships with our faith community and work closely with them throughout the year to ensure that there’s always an open line of communication."