OAK PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Jewish community in metro Detroit celebrated the second night of Hanukkah Monday with heightened security measures following a deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia.
In Oak Park, organizers increased security for their annual menorah parade, which featured dozens of cars and hundreds of participants traveling through five Oakland County cities. The student-organized event from Lubavitch Yeshiva at the Harry & Wanda Zekelman Campus has been a tradition for over a decade.
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"The students love it. It's all organized by them," said Rabbi Shmaya Shmotkin, school principal at Lubavitch Yeshiva.
The parade included dozens of cars topped with menorahs, spreading the message of Hanukkah throughout metro Detroit. However, this year's celebration carried additional weight following the Sydney attack, where two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah event, killing 15 people in what officials called an antisemitic attack.
"We, ourselves, know some of the people that were killed. They're colleagues of ours in the Chabad movement doing an event just like this, running a Hanukkah event in Australia," Shmotkin said.
Aaron Tobin, head of security at Lubavitch Yeshiva, said the school quickly enhanced security measures for the event.
"Whenever we have events now, unfortunately, we have to consider a lot more problems, a lone wolf attacker, an organized attacker," Tobin said. "We definitely beefed-up security. We have armed guards, we have unarmed guards, we have two state police cars here."
Related video: Metro Detroit rabbi mourns a friend killed in deadly Australia Hanukkah attack
Multiple law enforcement agencies contributed to security, including departments from Oak Park, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods and Birmingham, along with state police.
Despite security concerns, families turned out in large numbers for the celebration. Community member Aharon Shollar brought his newborn daughter to participate in the parade.
"It's beautiful. It's amazing. Every year, it's getting bigger and bigger," Shollar said. "Here in America, we have religious freedom, so it's important to exercise that and show that we're not afraid."
With six more nights of Hanukkah remaining, the metro Detroit Jewish community says they will continue celebrating their faith, drawing inspiration from the holiday's message of light overcoming darkness.
"We have the best lesson from the Hanukkah candles and the holiday of Hanukkah of how to respond to an event like this. Instead of retreating back because of the darkness, to take the candle to take the brightness, goodness," Shmotkin said. "Ultimately, the story of Hanukkah teaches us that goodness will vanquish darkness.”
"Always, the Jewish message is we increase in light, we dispel the darkness," Shollar said.
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