Officers who responded to Pittsburgh shooting light Long Island menorah

Several police officers who responded to the October synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh honored the victims of the attack by lighting a menorah on Long Island.

Eleven officers participated in the menorah-lighting ceremony at Chabad of Roslyn on Sunday, the first night of Hanukkah.

Rabbi Aaron Konikov, director of Chabad of Roslyn, said in a statement that the menorah is one of the tallest permanent ones in the world, according to NBC New York.

{mosads}“The light of the menorah reminds us that when the forces of light and good encounter darkness and hate, without fail light will always prevail,” Konikov said.

“If one hate-filled person created such darkness and pain, imagine the impact of so many more people united in doing good.”

The community said in a release that having the officers participate in the lighting was a “a show of solidarity with the Pittsburgh community and a display of Jewish pride in the face of rising anti-Semitism,” according to NBC.

In late October, a gunman opened fire during religious services at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, killing 11 people and injuring others, including police officers.

In a statement welcoming the start of Hanukkah, President Trump denounced anti-Semitism and vowed to support the Tree of Life community.

“Together, we reaffirm the truth that light will always break through the darkness,” he said. “We send our very best wishes for a blessed and happy Hanukkah.”

The menorah lighting comes at a time of increased reports of anti-Semitic crimes in the U.S.

A Columbia University professor’s office was vandalized with swastikas and an anti-Semitic slur last week.

The professor, Elizabeth Midlarsky, lit the university’s menorah on Sunday, according to NBC New York.

An FBI report released in November showed a 37 percent increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes in 2017.

Attacks against Jewish people accounted for 58.1 percent of crimes motivated by anti-religious bias last year, a 4 percent increase from 2016, the bureau said.