Skip to content Skip to footer

In Wake of Hanukkah Attack, Sanders Calls for Stand Against Anti-Semitism

“If there was ever a time in American history where we say no to religious bigotry, this is the time,” Sanders said.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during a Menorah Lighting at Chanukah on Ice campaign event at Brenton Skating Plaza on December 29, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Sen. Bernie Sanders called on people across the United States Sunday night to “recommit to standing together to defeat bigotry, violence, and anti-Semitism” in the wake of a violent attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Monsey, New York over the weekend.

“What we’re seeing right now — we’re seeing it in America, we’re seeing it all over the world — is a rise in anti-Semitism,” Sanders said at an annual Hanukkah event in Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the attack.

“We’re seeing somebody run into a kid here in Des Moines because that child was a Latino,” said Sanders, who is vying to become the first Jewish president in American history. “We’re seeing people being stabbed yesterday in New York City because they were Jewish. We are seeing people being assaulted because they are Muslim.”

“If there was ever a time in American history where we say no to religious bigotry,” Sanders added, “this is the time.”

The attack took place late Saturday evening in Monsey at Hasidic rabbi Chaim Rottenberg’s home, where dozens gathered to celebrate the seventh night of Hanukkah. A machete-wielding man later identified as Grafton Thomas entered Rottenberg’s home stabbed five people before fleeing the scene.

“The toll might have been worse had those assembled not fought back, hitting the intruder with pieces of furniture, forcing him to retreat,” the New York Times reported.

Police have not disclosed a motive for the attack, but New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo described it as an act of domestic terrorism.

“On this final evening of Hanukkah, a celebration of light overcoming darkness, Jane and I send our love and support to our Jewish brothers and sisters during this difficult time,” Sanders tweeted Sunday night.

We’re not going to stand for it. Are you?

You don’t bury your head in the sand. You know as well as we do what we’re facing as a country, as a people, and as a global community. Here at Truthout, we’re gearing up to meet these threats head on, but we need your support to do it: We must raise $21,000 before midnight to ensure we can keep publishing independent journalism that doesn’t shy away from difficult — and often dangerous — topics.

We can do this vital work because unlike most media, our journalism is free from government or corporate influence and censorship. But this is only sustainable if we have your support. If you like what you’re reading or just value what we do, will you take a few seconds to contribute to our work?