By COLlive reporter
An annual menorah lighting ceremony was held at One Police Plaza (often abbreviated as 1PP), headquarters of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) with the top police brass and Jewish community activists.
Located on Park Row in Civic Center, Manhattan, on Monday evening, the lighting was held in conjunction with the NYPD Shomrim Society, a group made up of Jewish members of the NYPD (no associations with similarly named groups).
Commissioner Dermot Shea, Deputy Commissioner Robert Ganley, Chief Chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kass joined with community leaders, honorary NYPD commissioner Devorah Halberstam, Rabbi Chanina Sperlin of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke’s Community Liaison Eli Slavin, NYPD clergy liasion David Heskiel and others.
NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan, tweeted he was “honored to join the great cops of the NYPD Shomrim Society and many members of NYC’s Jewish community tonight as we light the second candle on the menorah at NYPD Headquarters. Wishing everyone a very #HappyHanukkah!”
The event in celebration with the Jewish community was held amid a rash of violent attacks and verbal abuses against Jewish people in Crown Heights, Boro Park and Williamsburg. NYPD officials expressed their commitment to combatting anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish hate.