Synagogues across Long Beach and Lido Beach joined together to honor the brave officers of the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) and Nassau County Police Department. This year’s event took on new significance amid rising anti-Semitism globally.
This year, Benai Asher Sephardic Congregation hosted the event over Labor Day weekend. The event brought together police department members, their families, and Jewish community members from nearby synagogues.
“The events of October 7 and the protests that have ensued in support of Hamas and sought to normalize its atrocities, shook the global Jewish community – and indeed many members of our communities here on the Barrier Island – to the core,” said BACH spiritual leader and Long Beach Police Chaplain Rabbi Benny Berlin. “Yet through it all, the officers of the Long Beach and Nassau County Police departments have continued to provide an envelope of safety around our communities.”
“From the early moments of October 7, when no one could fully understand what was transpiring, these heroic officers stepped up their patrols of our communities and synagogues and kept our congregants updated throughout the holiday with breaking news. In the ten months since, they have done everything possible to help us feel safe. We are extremely thankful for their efforts to not only keep us safe but for their determination to maintain a constant feeling of safety for us all,” he added.
It was a beautiful day, and families could be seen choosing from the selection of hotdogs, hamburgers, and chicken wings, while engaging in lively conversation with one another and members of the police departments.
“We’re extremely thankful to the synagogues of Long Beach and Lido Beach for coordinating this barbecue for the third consecutive year,” said Long Beach Police Commissioner Richard DePalma. “Synagogues, along with our other faith-based communal partners, play an integral role in our community. We are one community – the Long Beach community – and this barbecue is a generous gesture that reinforces that.”
