SALT LAKE CITY — A more somber celebration could be heard coming out of the Utah State Capitol Sunday on the heels of a deadly attack that occurred in Sydney, where residents were having their own Hanukkah celebration.
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“I heard it from a text message from someone that lives in Brisbane,” said resident Samuel Fox, "it was like, 'Not again' and 'Why can’t we just get along?'”
“I just broke down. I cried for like an hour straight in my bedroom,” said Daniel Harris, who was in attendance for the celebration. "It's a really scary time.”
That’s when hesitation started to creep in.
“Definitely crossed my mind for a moment that there is a very, very, very bad man down in Australia who would have liked nothing more than to hear that, in addition to the terror and the carnage that he caused down in Australia, there were Jews in Utah that decided not to celebrate Hanukkah publicly because of his actions,” said Rabbi Avremi Zippel.
However, the Jewish community ultimately decided they wanted to show up and stand in solidarity during a tragedy.
“We can't control what happens out in Australia, but we can make sure that our communities outside of Australia will not cower, will not hide in fear,” Zippel said.
WATCH: Local synagogue urges action against antisemitism in wake of Australia attack
“If you ask anyone here, every single person would probably say that he or she had some sort of fear in coming here tonight," Harris added. "But at the end of the day, I can't live in that fear. I have to be proud of who I am, and I think the best way to combat antisemitism is to just be more proud of who I am as a Jewish individual."
Governor Spencer Cox made an appearance for the Menorah lighting and said the lights will hold a different meaning this year.
“I just couldn't imagine waking up this morning and seeing that terrible news. And yet, here we are, here you are, in this place, worshiping as you choose, because it is a core human right,” Cox said. "I can't help but think that a single light shines brighter the darker it gets, and there is plenty of darkness in this world. We see it every day, and we need those lights more than ever.”
While residents told FOX 13 News that they no longer want to live in fear, there are some things they wish would change.
“We deeply need a cultural shift, and we need to understand as a society that rhetoric, hateful rhetoric, that is being spewed, cannot be tolerated in our society,” Harris said.
The event also honored the families of Eric Estrada and Lee Sorensen, two officers who were shot and killed in Tremonton back in August.
