KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Jewish Community Relations Bureau held a special reception Monday night in Johnson County to mark the fifth night of Hanukkah and to recognize the dangerous increase in antisemitism.
Dozens of local officials, including mayors from several Johnson County cities, came to the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center to shine a light on the growing problem.
"Any time there's an uptick or escalation in what's happening in the middle east we see antisemitism spiking across the globe," Neta Meltzer, director of community and government relations at JCRB said.
The number of antisemitic incidents across the United States are up more than 300-percent since October 7th, according to Meltzer.
"For many of us, it feels like we're facing levels of antisemitism that perhaps we thought we had left behind," she said.
It's a not surprise to many in the Jewish community who predicted antisemitism would increase after the first rockets were fired into the Gaza Strip.
They've also been saying they need support from local officials.
"We're doing whatever we need to do to get through this moment, but what we really need to know is that the community is with us," Meltzer said.
Dozens of people came to the event Monday night to celebrate, listen and provide support.
"Everybody should know their neighbors and we should know when our neighbors are hurting," Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog said.
Meltzer says unity makes a difference.
"I can't overstate how important that is to our community," she said.
