by Katie Vasquez
It’s a holiday tradition Joseph Borgen remembers fondly from his childhood, lighting the menorah every year with his Modern Orthodox Jewish family.
“When I grew up in my household, it was always a big thing for us to gather around the menorahs, light the candles as a family,” Borgen said.
On the first night of Hanukkah, Borgen proudly placed his menorah in the window of his Upper East Side apartment.
It’s a display of faith he says is just as important as lighting the candles.
“Part of the commitment to light a menorah it’s called in Hebrew pirusumei nisa, which means publicizing the miracle,” Borgen said.
But more Jewish families are opting not to display their menorahs this year, afraid that the lights in their windows will attract antisemitism.
“I’m not afraid to display my menorah and I hope no one else would be,” Borgen said.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7th, hatred towards the jewish people has skyrocketed.
The Anti-Defamation League reported a 388 percent spike in harassment, vandalisms, and assaults that month alone.
In New York City –the NYPD said crimes against Jewish people increased by 214% in October.
“I hate to say it, but, you know, you look around the United States, you look around New York and the imagery of what we saw 75, 80 years ago in Germany is, it’s not so dissimilar,” Borgen said.
Borgen isn’t a stranger to antisemitism. In May 2021, as he headed to a pro Israel rally near Times Square, he was attacked.
“They kicked me, punched me, hit me with weapons, cursed at me, shouted anti-semitic chants and slurs at me,” Borgen said.
Even now, more than two years later, he continues to deal with emotional and physical pain from the incident.
But he refuses to let it stop him from celebrating his faith and proudly proclaim his jewish heritage.
“I just don’t want what happened that day to change how I live my life,” Borgen said.
So Borgen’s menorah will stay in his window until the last night of Hanukkah, as he continues to pray for peace for his people.