Police will have an increased presence at Hanukkah events in Scottsdale on the evening of December 14, according to city council members.
Scottsdale City Councilman Adam Kwasman said additional officers will be assigned to the menorah lighting in the Scottsdale district near Scottsdale Road, south of Bell Road.
“I can confirm that there will be an increased police presence at the menorah lighting in Scottsdale tonight,” Quasman wrote in a post on X.com (formerly Twitter).
Officer Aaron Bolin, spokesman for the Scottsdale Police Department, confirmed there will be an increased police presence for the 5 p.m. menorah lighting event.
Hanukkah events in Scottsdale are hosted by Chabad of Scottsdale. The accounts managed by Rabbis Yossi Levetrov and Dina Levetrov worked together to ensure that the event continued.
The post read: “We will be stronger and prouder than ever! We must shine brighter.”
Early on December 14, while most Arizonans were sleeping, a mass shooting occurred during Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach Hanukkah event, leaving at least 11 people dead and dozens injured.
New South Wales police said two suspects were in custody, one of whom later died. The other suspect is in critical condition. The attack, which took place on the first day of Hanukkah, was declared a terrorist incident.
Authorities and local media quoted witnesses as saying that about 1,000 people were attending a Hanukkah-related party on the beach when the shooting occurred. Australia has experienced a series of anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues and venues since the Gaza war began.
USA TODAY reporter Kim Hjelmgaard contributed to this article.
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Rey Covarrubias Jr. covers grocery shopping, business and breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Send him an email: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com and contact him at: Instagram, Number of threads, blue sky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
This article originally appeared in The Arizona Republic: Police increase presence at Scottsdale Hanukkah event