by Shelby Lofton, KSLTV.com
LEHI— Utah’s Jewish community is celebrating Chanukah this week under increased security following a deadly attack at Bondi Beach in Australia.
Lehi hosted its first-ever Chanukah celebration Monday night at Thanksgiving Point, where families gathered to light the menorah.
While the Festival of Lights is typically a joyful occasion, this year began with grief and concern for many.
“Even though it’s the other side of the world, it’s painful for us,” said Rabbi Sam Spector of Congregation Kol Ami in Salt Lake City. “We need, especially in 2025 and going into 2026, to stop normalizing antisemitism. We need people to courageously and unequivocally speak out and say that this is not okay.”
Spector said Utah’s Jewish community is committed to practicing its faith despite growing threats.
“We are a bit on edge,” Spector said. “We make sure that we have security at all of our events…Since October 7th, we have seen, October 7th, 2023, that is, we have seen an increase in threats, bomb threats, violent threats, threats to our building and also just anti-Semitic hate crimes rising.”
Despite the fear, Spector and other Jewish leaders, including Rabbi Benny Zippel, encourage Utahns to join in Chanukah celebrations.
“Where we try to avoid cultural appropriation is to take somebody else’s tradition and make it your own, but if you are saying, ‘I am doing this in solidarity with my Jewish friends in celebrating one of their holidays,’ that’s completely appropriate and very meaningful,” Spector said.
