As people of the Jewish faith gather together to celebrate the Festival of Lights this Hanukkah season, a darkness is falling over the faithful. 

Since the horrific attack by Hamas in Gaza on Oct. 7, hatred toward the Jewish people has skyrocketed. 

The Anti-Defamation League reported a 388% spike in harassment, vandalism, and assaults since the attack, and the New York Police Department saw an alarming 214% rise in antisemitic reports in October alone. 

As Catholics we must condemn these acts, while praying for peace in the Middle East. Last weekend, Pope Francis called on the faithful to keep Bethlehem in their hearts and prayers. 

“And as we contemplate Jesus — God made man, small, poor, defenseless — we cannot but think of the tragedy that the inhabitants of the Holy Land are living, expressing to those brothers and sisters of ours, especially the children and their parents, our closeness and our spiritual support. They are the ones who pay the true price of war,” he said. 

It is so startling that this newest wave of antisemitism is not hiding in the shadows, but is blatantly on full public display, with some people at the most prestigious higher educational institutions in the United States openly supporting the terrorism of Oct. 7. 

More than 500 faculty members at Harvard University signed a letter in support of university president Claudine Gay, despite intense fallout and calls for her firing after she failed in testimony to Congress to unequivocally condemn those supporting the genocide of Jews. 

Moreover, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned in the face of criticism after she too failed to outright condemn antisemitism in her testimony before Congress. 

But in fact, hateful rhetoric is far more blatant on campus quads. Earlier this month Jewish students from Harvard University, MIT, American University, and UPenn testified before a congressional panel detailing the antisemitic hate speech they have encountered since Oct. 7. 

“This is not just about the Middle East. This is antisemitism right here in our homes, on our campuses. It is dangerous, is going unchecked, and everyone that does not join to put a stop to it is part of the problem,” testified Jonathan Frieden, a student at Harvard Law School. 

“Being a Jew at NYU has meant being physically assaulted in NYU’s library by a fellow student while I was wearing an American-Israeli flag, and having my attacker still roam freely throughout the campus,” said Bella Ingber, a junior at New York University. 

Catholic faithful cannot allow this to continue. We must stand in support of Jewish shopkeepers who have been attacked, of Jewish students feeling threatened, and all others who fall victim to hate speech. 

This Hanukkah, many Jewish people feel afraid to place a menorah in their window, as they normally do. They are worried that their home or apartment will be vandalized due to this rise in antisemitism. 

A group called Project Menorah is asking non-Jews to place a menorah in their window along with their other holiday decorations as a sign of unity and support. With such a large Jewish population within the diocese, a show of support from Catholics in Brooklyn and Queens would be greatly appreciated