Thousands of people marched through the streets of New York City and across the Brooklyn Bridge, chanting, “No Hate, No Fear” on Sunday to support the Jewish community in the wake of a violent string of attacks against Jews in the tri-state area. The “No Hate, No Fear Solidarity” march, organized by various Jewish groups, began in Foley Square in Lower Manhattan and made its way toward Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn with a heavy police presence. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took part in the protests and announced $45 million in additional state funding to increase security around Jewish houses of worship, schools, and other religious institutions. “We are here to voice our concerns and our Jewish pride,” said Annie Marie Bennoun, president of the Temple Sinai synagogue in Bergen County, New Jersey. 

“This is so important, because we all stand together against hate and fear, and no one should be afraid to worship the way they want,” Rabbi Michael Singer told NBC 4 New York. “We’re marching and letting our feet do the praying for us.” The protests follow a violent attack at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York last month on the seventh night of Hanukkah after a man barged in and stabbed five people with a machete. Just a few weeks earlier, two gunmen stormed a kosher supermarket and killed three people and a police officer in Jersey City.