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AND PLEASE KNOW THAT THIS RIGHT HERE, EVERYONE YOU SEE, RIGHT HERE, IS THE BEST AND ONLY ANSWER TO WHAT HAPPENED IN SYDNEY TWO NIGHTS AGO.
THERE'S A REASON THE THE TERRORIST ATTACKED THE VERY FIRST HANUKKAH CELEBRATION ON EARTH.
BEAR IN MIND SYDNEY'S 15 HOURS AHEAD OF US WHEN LE LIT THE MENORAH, THEY WERE THE VERY FIRST AND THAT'S WHY THEY WERE TARGETED.
THE TERRORISTS WANTED TO STOP THE LIGHT AT ITS SOURCE.
THEY WANTED TO SCARE JEWS AROUND THE WORLD FROM SHOWING UP TO MAKE US THINK TWICE BEFORE WE GATHER, BEFORE WE CELEBRATE AND BEFORE WE SHINE OUR LIGHT.
BUT HERE WE ARE MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, LET THEM KNOW THAT THEIR DARKNESS WILL BE MET BY TWICE THE LIGHT.
WHEN DARKNESS TRIES TO INTIMIDATE US, WE DON'T SHRINK, WE DON'T HIDE, WE SHINE BRIGHTER.
LAST NIGHT WE LIT ONE CANDLE TONIGHT, WE'LL LIGHT TWO TOMORROW, THREE.
AND WE'LL KEEP GOING UNTIL THE ENTIRE MENORAH BLAZES WITH LIGHT.
YOUR PRESENCE TONIGHT, THE FACT THAT YOU'RE HERE IN THE COLD WITH YOUR FRIENDS, THAT YOU'RE STANDING HERE PROUDLY, THAT IS THE ANSWER.
NOT WITH WORDS, BUT WITH LIGHT.
WITH FAITH, NOT BY HIDING, BUT BY GATHERING.
THE TERRORISTS WANTED TO EXTINGUISH HANUKKAH.
INSTEAD, THOUSANDS MORE MEN OF MINORAS ARE BEING LIT ACROSS THE WORLD TONIGHT, MORE GATHERINGS, MORE CELEBRATIONS, MORE JEWS STANDING PROUD.
SO AS WE LIGHT TONIGHT'S CANDLES, WE SAY TO THE WORLD, YOU WILL NEVER SCARE US INTO DARKNESS.
WE ARE VERY HONORED TONIGHT TO HAVE WITH US RABBI DANIEL DANIEL REISNER FROM TABLEAU, BELOM AND HASTINGS.
I'D LIKE TO INVITE TO SHARE A FEW WORDS.
THANK YOU RABBI BENJI SILVERMAN INTO THE HABBAT OF THE RIVER TOWNS FOR ALLOWING US TO JOIN TOGETHER THIS EVENING.
AND FOR ORGANIZING THIS, THERE'S A REASON WHY WE PUT OUR HANUKKAH MENORAHS IN THE WINDOW.
THE ALMA TELLS US THAT ONE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE'S RESPONSIBILITIES ON HANUKKAH IS TO PUBLICIZE THE MIRACLE THAT HAPPENED 2000 YEARS AGO FOR THE MACCABEES TO LET THE WORLD KNOW THAT DESPITE THE TRAUMAS, DESPITE THE FEARS THAT OUR PEOPLE HAVE KNOWN FOR SO MANY GENERATIONS, THAT WE'RE NOT AFRAID AND THAT WE'RE PROUD TO DISPLAY OUR JEWISHNESS PUBLICLY IN THE WINDOW OF OUR HOMES.
AND WHAT IS MORE SYMBOLIC OF THAT THAN OF MENORAH, NOT JUST IN THE WINDOW OF A HOME, BUT IN MENORAH, IN THE WINDOW OF THE TOWN SQUARE.
AND OUR THANKS TO HABAD FOR HELPING TO MAKE THAT POSSIBLE HERE IN HASTINGS, ESPECIALLY THIS WEEK WHERE THE JEWISH PEOPLE HAS EXPERIENCED A TERRORIST ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACK.
WE WILL NOT HIDE OUR MEAS FROM THE WINDOWS.
WE'LL KEEP THEM LIT THERE EVEN IN THE TOWN SQUARE.
WE ALSO HONORS HAVE WITH US THE NEWLY INSTALLED MAYOR OF HASTINGS.
WE WISH HIM MUCH SUCCESS IN HIS FUTURE.
HE WANTS TO GO BY RABBI BENJI.
UH, AND THANK YOU RABBI ER FOR MAINTAINING SUCH A GREAT RELATIONSHIP THAT, THAT YOU AND I HAVE.
AND I FEEL VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE AN OPEN DIALOGUE WITH YOU AT ANY TIME.
UM, AND, AND ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE LAST 24 HOURS.
UM, I SENT A MESSAGE OUT TO THE COMMUNITY YESTERDAY AFTERNOON IN, IN, UH, COORDINATION AND COOPERATION WITH OUR POLICE CHIEF.
I FELT LIKE IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WAS OPEN, THAT WAS HONEST.
THAT WAS COMING FROM A CATHOLIC, UH, A PERSON OF CATHOLIC FAITH.
UH, BECAUSE WHAT OCCURRED YESTERDAY, WHICH YOU SPOKE ABOUT, IS AN ATTACK ON ALL FAITHS.
ANYBODY WHO IS TRYING TO TO PRACTICE THEIR RELIGIOUS FAITH IN AN OPEN SETTING LIKE THIS, LIKE WE LIT THIS CHRISTMAS TREE JUST LAST WEEK HERE IN THE VILLAGE OF HASTINGS ON HUDSON.
UH, IT'S AN ATTACK ON ALL OF US.
UH, IT'S AN ATTACK ON EVERY PERSON WHO WANTS TO PRACTICE THEIR FAITH PRIVATELY IN PUBLIC.
AND THE VILLAGE OF HASTINGS ON HUDSON DOES NOT CONDONE THAT TYPE OF AN ATTACK AS WELL.
UH, BEYOND THAT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY WOMAN, MARY JANESKY.
I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING HIM FROM VILLAGE TO VILLAGE
OUR LOCAL RABBI, RABBI REER AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU TONIGHT IS DIFFICULT.
NOT JUST FOR THE OBVIOUS, BUT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TO HOLD TWO REALLY CONFLICTING THOUGHTS IN OUR HEAD AT ONCE.
ON ONE HAND, WE GRIEVE THE LOSS OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN SYDNEY AND IN AUSTRALIA.
WE ARE CONCERNED FOR ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
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HERE THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD.BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A JOYOUS NIGHT.
AND EVERYONE WHO CELEBRATES HANUKKAH HERE SHOULD KNOW I CAN LOOK THROUGH THE CROWD THERE.
YOU HAVE A LOT OF ALLIES HERE AND WE ARE ALL COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT YOU CAN EX STILL EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF THIS YEAR'S HANUKKAH.
AND WE STAND WITH YOU AND YOUR RIGHT TO LIVE IN PEACE AND SAFETY.
NEXT I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE GREENBERG TOWN COUNCIL MEMBER ELLEN HENDRICKS.
WHEN I VISITED YA WHEN I VISITED YA TWO YEARS AGO, A LITTLE OVER TWO YEARS AGO, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD OUT OF THE MANY WAS THE, THE BOW RELIEF BRONZE SCULPTURES ONE, WHICH WAS RATHER DATED, THAT SHOWED THE JEWISH COMMUNITY COMMUNITY BOWING DOWN IN SUBMISSION.
THE OTHER WAS MORE RECENT OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY STANDING PROUD.
SO WE, JEWS STAND PROUD AND WE BRING LIGHT ALL AROUND US AND WE CELEBRATE TONIGHT MAKING THAT LIGHT CONTINUE.
ALSO WITH US THIS EVENING, OUR VILLAGE BOARD MEMBER SAMANTHA MERTON.
I THINK SHE'S SOMEWHERE IN THE CROWD HERE.
ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HERE WITH ME? UH, WE ALSO HAVE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER DAVID WEINSTEIN AND CATHERINE D MARTINO.
I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S ANY OTHER SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE HERE.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR FORMER MAYOR, PETER KY IN, UH, US.
I SEE SOME WAVING IN THE BACK MAIL, WHO'S BACK THERE? I CAN'T SEE 'CAUSE DOUG DOUGLAS, UH, VILLAGE TRUSTEE DOUGLAS ALLGOOD.
AND I ALSO WANT TO EXTEND A DEEP APPRECIATION TO THE HASTINGS POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR BEING HERE, UH, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF CHIEF DAVID DOSEN.
THANK YOU OFFICERS AND SERGEANTS, WHOEVER WAS UH, OUT HERE THIS EVENING.
UH, AND CHIEF DOSEN, IF YOU HAPPEN TO SEE HIM, UH, AMONGST THE CROWD THIS EVENING, UH, SAY HELLO TO HIM AS WELL.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY? THE HONOR OF LIGHTING THIS, BUT I'M NOT GONNA CLIMB THE LADDER.
THE LIGHTING OF THE SHAMA GIVES THE HONOR TO MAYOR TOM DRAKE, WHO'S LIKE THE FLAMED DOWN HERE.
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR MAYOR.
BEFORE WE RECITE THE BLESSINGS, I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO ALSO THANK THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR BEING HERE AND FOR CARING, AND ALSO FOR TO ALL THE ELECTED OFFICIALS.
YOUR PRESENCE MEANS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT TO US.
UM, STANDING WITH US MEANS A LOT.
I DO ASK THAT YOU NOT ONLY STAND WITH US, BUT STAND UP FOR US WHEN YOU'RE NOT IN OUR PRESENCE, WHEN NEED OTHER GATHERINGS, WHEN PERHAPS CERTAIN SLOGANS AND CHANTS ARE SAID THAT ARE MODERN DAY BLOOD LIBELS, PLEASE STAND UP FOR US.
'CAUSE THESE WORDS DO HAVE CONSEQUENCES LIKE WE SAW IN SYDNEY.
AND WHAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IS WHEN ELECTED OFFICIALS, WHEN GOOD PEOPLE STAND UP AND SILENCE THE HATERS AND SILENCE THOSE CHANTS, IT GOES A LONG WAY.
PLEASE JOIN US TO RECITE THE BLESSINGS ON THE MENORAH.
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PLEASE JOIN ME AS WE SING, MA PLEASE HELP YOURSELF.SOME HOT APPLE CIDER AND SOME DONUTS.