Billy Joel wears yellow Star of David during a concert in silent protest against neo-Nazis

Billy Joel made a symbolic statement during a concert on Monday night.

The "Piano Man" performed in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and he took the stage wearing two yellow Stars of David -- one on either side of his black jacket. The move comes amid continuing controversy around the neo-Nazi and white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month.

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The emotional move echoed what Jewish people across Nazi-occupied Europe were forced to do during World War II as a way of making their religion publicly known.

The move was a rare political statement by Joel, who People reports identifies as culturally Jewish and usually tries to stay quiet on politics.

See photos of Billy Joel on stage:

Joel's loved ones were at the concert and supported his move on social media.

"Now, THIS Is How You Do It," his daughter, Alexa Ray, wrote on Instagram. "THAT'S MY POP!!! Proud Jewish New Yorker Through & Through!!!!! REPRESENT! STAND STRONG!"

His ex-wife, Christie Brinkley, also voiced her support of Joel on Instagram.

"And on the day of the Solar Eclipse a yellow star appeared on the jacket of another kind of star with a clinched fist that seemed to be gripping painful, no excruciating, memories of loved ones who wore that star to their death," she captioned a photo of Billy. "May that star also remind you today of the gold stars pinned to the jackets of soldiers for their bravery and valor for fighting an evil so hideous even the gold stars in the sky were afraid to shine. Thank you Billy for reminding people what was ...so it may never ever be again. My darling @alexarayjoel another reason to be proud of your Pop."

For more on the rise of hate groups in the US, watch the video above.

RELATED: See photos of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley together:

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