A Williamsburg, Virginia, organizer has canceled a planned Hanukkah celebration out of concern that it might send a “pro-Israel message” and “signal support of the killings of thousands of people in Gaza.” A local rabbi had been scheduled to lead the event prior to its cancellation.
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The decision to cancel the Jewish tradition has sparked condemnation from the wider Jewish community.
“We should be very clear: It is antisemitic to hold Jews collectively responsible for Israel’s policies and actions, and to require a political litmus test for Jews’ participation in community events,” The United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula said in a statement.
Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, and Israel’s subsequent attacks on the Gaza Strip, antisemitism has risen sharply in the United States and around the world.
Hate crimes against Palestinians have also spiked, as the conflict in Gaza continues to divide people around the world into pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian camps.
“The concern is of folks feeling like we are siding with a group over the other… not a direction we ever decide to head,” Shirley Vermillion, founder of the Second Sundays Art and Musical Festival, told the Daily Press.
United Jewish Community leaders say they were informed that the event would be rescheduled if the celebration were to be held under a “ceasefire banner.” They also commented that the menorah lighting was not intended to be political in any way.
