LeeAnne LowryHundreds of police stood guard New Year's Day as almost 100,000 people congregated in New Jersey to celebrate the orthodox Jewish event Siyum HaShas.
Siyum HaShas celebrates the completion of a full reading of the Talmud — a 2,711 page holy book that guides Jewish life. It takes seven and a half years to read the whole thing.
Security presence was heavy following recent anti-Semitic attacks in the area. In December, six people were killed in a series of shootings in New Jersey that ended at a kosher grocery store. And less than a week before the Siyum HaShas event, five people were stabbed at a Hanukkah celebration in New York. The Anti-Defamation League says hate crimes against Jews have been on the rise since 2013.
Three hundred uniformed state police were in the stadium for Wednesday's event. An organizer told a local newspaper that he worked with over 50 law enforcement agencies in preparation.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
