NYC Escalates Security for Hanukkah Amid Deadly Global Antisemitic Attacks

New York City officials have announced heightened security measures across Manhattan and Brooklyn ahead of Hanukkah celebrations following a series of violent incidents that include a deadly antisemitic terrorist attack in Sydney, Australia.

Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that the last 24 hours have witnessed a global wave of tragedy. The incidents encompass a mass shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, a Brooklyn incident that wounded six teenagers attending a Sweet 16 party, and an antisemitic terrorist attack in Sydney that killed more than a dozen people.

In a Sunday afternoon statement, Adams described the Sydney attack as specifically targeting Jewish worshippers marking Hanukkah. “The last 24 hours, we’ve witnessed a tragedy that has swept our entire globe,” he told reporters. “We went to sleep with the horrific report of a mass shooting at Brown University. We woke up in the middle of the night to the news of a local one: Six individuals, teenagers, young people were shot in Brooklyn.”

Adams noted that among the Sydney victims was a rabbi with ties to Crown Heights and a Holocaust survivor. “This attack did not come out of nowhere,” he said. “It came out as the consequences of Islamic extremists. It is not an attack on our Muslim brothers and sisters, who carry out their faith every day, but is the hijacking of their religion by Islamic extremists.”

The mayor also criticized Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for his comments on “globalize the intifada,” stating that the Sydney attack exemplifies what he described as the “globalization of intifada.” “This attack in Sydney is exactly what it means to globalize intifada,” Adams said.

Commissioner Tisch confirmed details of the Brooklyn shooting, which occurred early Sunday morning outside a Cypress Hills event venue and injured six teenagers ages 15–17. She noted the incident appears gang-related with no life-threatening injuries reported. The NYPD has maintained continuous contact with Australian law enforcement for updates.

To address escalating threats, city officials deployed enhanced security measures including counterterrorism units, heavy weapons teams, bomb squads, and community affairs officers across all five boroughs. Tisch credited the international liaison program for providing real-time intelligence from Australia.

“Antisemitism has no place in our city, in our society, and in our world,” Adams said. Both officials reaffirmed their commitment to protecting Jewish New Yorkers and ensuring Hanukkah celebrations can occur safely.