Bobby Gibson

I was expecting to see a full house at Beth El Temple in West Hartford Wednesday for the Community Rally against Hate: Standing Together Against Anti-Semitism. The crowd was swelling before the event started, poor weather conditions and all.

I'd like to thank the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford and the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut for holding this event and inviting me to join fellow lawmakers and religious leaders and a congregation that included our Jewish friends and people of all faiths.

There has been a rise in violence against Jewish people lately and it's unacceptable.

The most recent attack came at a rabbi's home in Monsey, N.Y., where five people were stabbed with a machete during a Hanukkah celebration on Saturday night.

We will rise together in support of our friends. All people. All faiths.