Police boost security for Scottsdale Chanukah event

Police boost security for Scottsdale Chanukah event

Rey Covarrubias Jr., Arizona Republic

Sun, December 14, 2025 at 6:34 PM UTC

1 min read

Police will increase their presence at a Chanukah event in Scottsdale on the evening of Dec. 14, according to a city councilmember.

Scottsdale Councilmember Adam Kwasman said extra officers will be on hand for a menorah lighting at the Scottsdale Quarter, near Scottsdale Road just south of Bell Road.

"I can confirm there will be an increased police presence at tonight’s Menorah lighting in Scottsdale," Kwasman wrote in a post on X.com, formerly Twitter.

Officer Aaron Bolin, spokesperson for the Scottsdale Police Department, confirmed the increased police presence at the 5 p.m. Menorah lighting event.

The Chanukah event in Scottsdale is hosted by the Chabad of Scottsdale. An account run by Rabbi Yossi Levetrov and Dina Levetrov stood in solidarity and ensured the event would continue.

"We will stand stronger and prouder than ever before! We must show up and shine brighter," the post read.

While most Arizonans were asleep early Dec. 14, a mass shooting during a Hanukkah event at Sydney's popular Bondi Beach left at least 11 people killed and dozens injured.

New South Wales police said two suspects were taken into custody, one of whom later died. The other suspect was in a critical condition. The attack, on the first day of Chanukah, was declared a terrorist incident.

Authorities and local media reports citing eyewitnesses said the shooting began while about 1,000 people were attending a Chanukah-related party on the beach. Australia has experienced a string of antisemitic attacks on synagogues and sites since the war in Gaza began.

USA TODAY reporter Kim Hjelmgaard contributed to this article.

(This is a developing story, check back to azcentral.com for more details.)

Rey Covarrubias Jr. covers grocery shopping, business and breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Police increase presence at Scottsdale Chanukah event

About Our Ads

Source