Ru Anne Stivack attended the interfaith rally against anti-Semitism at the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach on Thursday, June 3, 2021.
Next to a makeshift stage with a banner that reads “No Hate. Don’t worry. ”And“ End anti-Semitism now, ”Jack Waksal, a Holocaust survivor, said the recent attacks on Jewish people in South Florida were too well known.
“The same thing happened when I was a little boy in Poland,” he said. “It’s incredible.”
Born in 1924, Waksal lost his entire family in the Holocaust. He was one of more than 700 people who attended an interfaith rally against anti-Semitism at the Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial. He said he was happy to see people stand up and unite.
Thursday’s rally marks the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began that religious leaders, politicians and community members have gathered at the Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial to denounce anti-Semitism and hatred of all kinds.
In the past few weeks, the nation has seen an increase in anti-Semitic attacks. The surge coincided with an 11-day war between Israelis and Palestinians that killed at least 230 people in Gaza – more than 60 children – and 12 people in Israel. A truce began on May 21st.
Reports of synagogue vandalism, harassment of people going to or from synagogues, and the destruction of Jewish-owned businesses led President Joe Biden to weigh in last month. He called the attacks “despicable, unscrupulous and un-American” and said they should stop.
“I will not allow our compatriots in America to be intimidated or attacked because of their identity or their beliefs,” he said. “We cannot allow the toxic combination of hatred, dangerous lies and conspiracy theories to put our fellow Americans at risk.”
Incidents of concern in South Florida include: a small pro-Nazi hate group making anti-Semitic comments in various locations in the area; a man who spits on a menorah and leaves human feces in front of a synagogue; a New Jersey family molested by four men in an SUV while out walking in Bal Harbor. The men shouted insults, including “The Jew”.
Last week someone painted swastikas and wrote the words “The Jews Are Guilty” in the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg.
The attack prompted community leaders to plan a #UniteAgainstHate rally outside the museum on Thursday.
The Anti-Defamation’s League’s annual anti-Semitic incident audit, published in April, showed a 40 percent increase from 2019 to 2020.
Last week, Jewish associations and organizations, as well as local politicians, held a virtual town hall emergency meeting to discuss recent attacks on the Jewish community. The next day there was a national virtual rally with speeches from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., And the NBA Hall of Famer and former Miami Heat player Ray Allen .
At Thursday’s rally, more than 700 people gathered in the street and around the memorial, many wearing blue and white clothing in support of Israel and holding signs that read “NEVER AGAIN” and “No hate”. Don’t worry. ”As they sang the words when asked by the speakers. Some wore masks as they huddled around the stage in front of the memorial.
Speakers: Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Acting Consul General of Israel Maor Elbaz, Greater Miami Jewish Federation President and CEO Jacob Solomon, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski and United Church of Christ Minister Priscilla Felisky Whitehead.
Mayor Gelber said incidents against Jews have increased alarmingly and believes he needs to stand up and scream to fight hatred. He said he hoped to let the world know that the people are united.
“You are never powerless to protest against one [an injustice], “he said.” For the moment we should be here. “
In front of the memorial, Solomon said this hatred was “a disease that infects society”. Should anyone show up to protest or become violent, they said they believed the security, which included drones and officials with binoculars at the Halegua Family Building, was in place.
Wenski repeated the feeling and said that security was behind him. The rally, he said, was an opportunity to “stand up to the cowards,” since pampering, he said, encourages escalation.
When her three-year-old granddaughter Naama jumped and circled her in a pink shirt with an Israeli flag, Rose Jung, a 63-year-old, said she came to Miami from the Soviet Union 44 years ago and experienced anti-Semitism. Now she doesn’t want her grandchildren to experience this same hatred and fears it will get worse.
Sandra Remilien, a 36-year-old woman from north Miami, said she was at the rally to support Israel and the Jewish community. As a black woman, she emphasized the importance of supporting and uniting communities with different backgrounds and religions.
“I’m here because anti-Semitism is not a new topic,” she said. “Jews no longer have to die.”
Asta Hemenway is a 2021 Summer Intern on the Miami Herald’s Real Time Breaking News and General Assignment team. She previously wrote Alligator for The Independent Florida. There she also worked as a Metro editor and as a Criminal Justice and Breaking News reporter. She attends the University of Florida and grew up in Tallahassee.
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