ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Many came together Sunday to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.

Some decorated cookies with important symbols like the Star of David and the menorah, which serves as a symbol of light and peace for Jews during Hanukkah, a reminder of Jewish survival against incredible odds.

“I love that it's all things coming together at once,” director of family programming at the Jewish Community Center Freyda Schneider said. “Culture, celebration, community, food, entertainment and it's got sprinkles on top.”

And as Jewish hate crimes surge across the country, the community needs to stick together now more than ever.

“Just every day going on social media, something that maybe was happening in another place was more localized at the time,” co-founder of Brighton Stands Against Antisemitism Leah Goldman said. “And now that there's social media, everyone can see it. So it's everywhere. Influencers like Kanye West have also played a big part in the spread of hate and conspiracy theories.”

Some feel as though this issue is history repeating itself.

“Antisemitism has impacted me personally, but also my family,” Goldman said. “My grandparents were all Holocaust survivors. It was actually the Holocaust courtyard right next to us and their names are there. Antisemitism in general can manifest in a lot of ways. It's not necessarily violence. It can be. But comments, you know, behaviors, that kind of thing.”

They created the Blue Light Project to take a stand against antisemitism throughout the duration of Hanukkah.

“Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, and we light the menorahs every night of Hanukkah to commemorate the eight days,” Goldman said. “And so we're bringing some blue light to Hanukkah and to the community. And blue is a very important color in Judaism. You'll see it in the prayer shawls. People also on the Israeli flag.”

As for the best way to combat the issue…

“Acknowledge antisemitism and address it, but it's also really important for the Jewish community to take pride in their heritage and their religion and their culture,” Goldman said. “So this type of event is awesome because it really instills that in the children and they understand who they are.”