Tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews gathered on New Year’s Day at MetLife stadium for a reading of the Talmud — the Jewish Book of Laws. Security was tight, with the event taking place against a backdrop of recent anti-Semitic acts and violence throughout New Jersey and New York.

New Jersey has the first-in-the-country interfaith advisory council, made up of more than 3,500 faith leaders from every county. The goal of the council is to bring together interfaith leaders and law enforcement before incidents become larger issues.