Hochul condemns man who fired shotgun outside temple on first day of Hanukkah

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) denounced a man who fired a shotgun outside a Jewish temple on the first day of Hanukkah.

A 28-year-old man was accused on Thursday of firing a shotgun outside of Temple Israel in Albany, New York, just after 2 p.m., according to police. He is reported to have shouted “Free Palestine!” after he fired, according to WNYT, leading police to investigate the incident as a hate crime. Hochul condemned the man shortly after and called for a statewide response to prevent further incidents.

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“Any act of antisemitism is unacceptable, and undermining public safety at a synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah is even more deplorable,” Hochul said in a statement.

Yuki Iwamura/AP

“As New Yorkers, we must stand united: this is not who we are. We reject hate, antisemitism and violence in all forms. And we have no tolerance for the forces of evil who are trying to tear our communities apart,” she said.

“I am immediately directing the New York State Police and New York National Guard to be on high alert and increase the existing patrols of at-risk sites we had planned for the Hanukkah holiday, including at synagogues, yeshivas and community centers, and working closely with local law enforcement,” she added. “This builds on the significant efforts we have taken to protect religious communities in the wake of the October 7 attacks. Make no mistake: the safety of Jewish New Yorkers is non-negotiable.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams also announced that his city’s police would be put on high alert and said he had been briefed on the situation, though there were no known connections with the city.

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Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan condemned the shooting as well, saying it was a “symptom of the malignant anti-Semitism that is spreading across our country.”

“It is our collective responsibility in Albany, in our state, and across our nation – regardless of our beliefs – to stand up and speak out against anti-Semitism,” she continued. “We cannot allow the atrocities of the past to repeat themselves.”