(Courtesy of Bris Avrohom) In response to the prevalence of antisemitism in society these days, the law enforcement agency of Bergen County assembled to display their solidarity with Israel. They spoke about the atrocities that occurred on October 7 and in the ensuing months. Rabbi Mordechai Kanelsky, who was present at the gathering, spoke of his parents who live only 17 kilometers from Gaza and the fear they face daily.

Candles were lit and a service was held in memory of those who perished. The sheriff shared a personal connection to the devastation in Israel. He told how he met with a member of the Israeli police department when he visited Israel last September, and then was saddened to learn that this member was killed in the line of duty on October 7. He showed a picture and a card of the police officer.

Rabbi Kanelsky gave the sheriff a pen with the inscription of Jerusalem in order to emphasize that Jerusalem is our eternal capital, and we will stand with Israel forever.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, a prominent member of the sheriff’s office, Daniel E. Zwillenberg, Esq., proudly donned tefillin as a gesture of honoring and procuring safety for Israel.