‘We need greater protection;’ Local rabbi takes extra security measure with Hanukkah celebration

CENTERVILLE — It’s Hanukkah and the FBI is warning of an increase in hate crimes during the Jewish holiday.

News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott talked to the Jewish community in Centerville about the growing violence that’s been happening since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel.

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Rabbi Nochum Mangel said it is “troubling” to be “confronted with this level of hate.”

“We have been seeing increased fear, despair, hopelessness, and isolation,” Tara Finer, Executive Director of Jewish Family Services, said.

They’ve also seen the violence across the county from a shooting in New York to three Palestinian students shot in Vermont, and several protests on college campuses.

Mangel held a lighting of the menorah to kick off the first day of Hanukkah, but something was different this holiday.

“(It was) the first time in 32 years that I had to call the local police to let them know we are having an event outside,” he said, noting it was also the first time he had to enlist a security guard.

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The rabbi said he’s seeing more and more Jewish community members take precautions, including purchasing guns.

“We need greater protection,” Mangel said.

But antisemitism is nothing new for the Jewish community.

“This is the continuation of traumatic events over time, from the Holocaust to the establishment of Israel,” Finer said.

While there is hate out there, Mangel said people in Dayton have been supportive.

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