It's Happening In Miami

MIAMI – January 23, 2022: The Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) strongly condemn the virulently antisemitic flyers allegedly distributed by the Goyim Defense League (GDL), a white supremacist group, in various locations in Miami-Dade County and South Florida overnight in residential neighborhoods.

Law enforcement is aware of the issue and detectives are actively investigating the incidents. We are grateful to law enforcement for their swift response and the seriousness with which they are approaching the investigation.

The distribution of anti-Jewish hate materials fits a pattern of white supremacist groups that routinely seek — both locally and in communities throughout the country — to capitalize on antisemitic incidents to further their abhorrent cause. This particular occurrence follows the most recent violent attack on Jewish people, where a rabbi and three congregants were held hostage at gun point at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas eight days ago. During that attack, our Office of Community Security (OCS) was immediately and regularly in communication with local law enforcement and the Secure Community Network (SCN), the national security initiative of The Jewish Federations of North America, to confirm that there were no additional threats to the local Jewish community and to share that critical information with our local Jewish synagogues and organizations.

The Federation and its JCRC denounce antisemitism in all forms and reject all manifestations of hatred, intolerance and bigotry. The Greater Miami Jewish Federation Office of Community Security consistently is in contact with local law enforcement regarding the safety and security of the Jewish community and our institutions. At this time we are unaware of any threats to the Jewish community in South Florida.

In 2019, in the aftermath of the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, 50 of Miami’s Jewish clergy came together for a day to study disaster spiritual care in partnership with our Greater Miami Jewish Federation chaplaincy program, the Secure Community Network and local law enforcement. We realized that each of our institutions were potential targets, and as spiritual leaders we wanted to be prepared if the unthinkable were to ever happen at one of our local synagogues.

The antisemitic attack at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX reminded each of us that our institutions, and even our bodies, are on the front lines. We sadly say these things without any hint of exaggeration. With the rise of antisemitic violence, every synagogue in our community has needed to enact security protocols. Our communities are regularly in touch with law enforcement and the FBI, monitoring hate groups and violence against Jews. According to the ADL, last year more than 2,100 distinct incidents of assault, vandalism and harassment against the Jewish community were recorded, the largest number since the ADL began tracking events in 1979.

This country was built upon the values of freedom of worship. Religious institutions should be a place where we can come together during celebration, as well as loss, to connect to our sense of the Divine. For most Americans this is the reality. Yet for Jews, the uncomfortable truth is that we need to be vigilant; our doors need to be secured. The terrorist who entered Beth Israel was not simply taking hostages. He was specifically targeting Jews. No Jew should ever feel afraid walking into a Jewish institution, much more a place of God.

In recent years, as spiritual leaders, many of us have been disappointed that the media and many of our allies have downplayed the impacts of antisemitic activity. Whether in the far-right or the far-left, hatred of Jews has been allowed to fester and many of their slanderous ideas have entered the mainstream, even among political leaders. Jews have always been on the front line in this country, calling out all forms of hatred. Yet, from some parts of our country, including our historic allies and parts of the media, the silence has been deafening. We call on all people of good will to speak out, to not allow this vicious hatred to endure.

The Jewish people are resilient, and we will continue to celebrate and create, despite recent traumas. Yet we cannot deny our experience during these times. Deborah Lipstadt, today’s most prominent scholar of antisemitism, was recently appointed by President Biden to be the United States Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating antisemitism. We urge our federal representatives to approve her appointment without delay. She got it right when she paraphrased Justice Stewart’s quip about pornography: You may not be able to define it, but you know it when you see it. Whether it takes the form of anti-Judaism or anti-Zionism, we know it when we see it.

Rabbi Rachel Greengrass, President

Rabbi Frederick L. Klein, Executive Vice President

Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami

The Lindbergh Kidnapping Suspect No. 1: The Man Who Got Away is a shocking but true story is divided into dozens of short, riveting chapters. Astonishingly, more key evidence is accessible today than was presented at the death penalty trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann for the kidnap/murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr. With documents and photographs the jury never saw, judge for yourself who committed the "crime of the century."

Date: February 1, 2022 Time: 7:30 pm

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Join us at the Glenn Hubert Library for a panel discussion in honor of local artist Mark Cohen’s Legacy of Remembrance and hear from FIU Communications Professor Raquel Perez about her innovative VR project connecting audiences with Holocaust survivors. Cosponsored by FIU Libraries, MAST at FIU, the Vice Provost’s Council on the Biscayne Bay Campus, and OLLI. Part of FIU’s 7th Annual Holocaust & Genocide Awareness Week, presented by the Holocaust & Genocide Studies Program, Hillel at FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU.

January 24, 2022 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

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The Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) are relieved and grateful for the safe rescue of the four hostages taken during Shabbat services at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. We pray for the swift and complete healing of the entire Greater Dallas/Fort Worth community and for all who were traumatized by the violent event.

Upon learning of the incident, Federation’s Office of Community Security immediately contacted our partners at Secure Community Network (SCN), the national security initiative of The Jewish Federations of North America, who confirmed that this was an isolated incident, as well as connected with local law enforcement, who confirmed that there were no known threats in South Florida. We communicated this information to our synagogues, Jewish Community Centers and agencies, and continued to stay in touch with all of our partners through the end of the hostage situation. We are appreciative to law enforcement for their extraordinary role in keeping the Jewish community safe.

Let us be clear: Despite the stated objective of the attacker, this was unquestionably an antisemitic attack. The decision to target a synagogue during Shabbat worship services, a holy time for rest, rejuvenation and peace; the attacker’s preconceived notion that threatening only Jewish people would be the most effective way to achieve his goals; and the heightened sense of alarm felt by Jewish people everywhere as a result of his actions, all make clear the hateful anti-Jewish motivation of the perpetrator.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation will not tolerate antisemitism or hate in any form. Keeping our Jewish community, as well as all other diverse communities, safe and secure is always top of mind. While we will forever be grateful that no one other than the perpetrator was harmed, this is yet another reminder – as were recent attacks in Pittsburgh, Poway, Jersey City, and Monsey – that we have much work to do.

We strongly encourage all community organizations, Jewish and otherwise, to review their emergency operation plan at the earliest opportunity to ensure that their policies and procedures are current, comprehensive and understood by their respective constituencies. We call on all people of goodwill everywhere to work together to prevent future attacks, and to remember that even in the present political climate, we have much more in common than we do that divides us.

Information and Resources:
Report a security concern to our Office of Community Security.
Report an antisemitic incident to our Jewish Community Relations Council.
Schedule a security training at your Jewish institution.
Review Secure Community Network’s resources for keeping your institution safe.
Follow the Jewish Community Relations Council on Facebook.

Join us at the Glenn Hubert Library for a panel discussion in honor of local artist Mark Cohen’s Legacy of Remembrance and hear from FIU Communications Professor Raquel Perez about her innovative VR project connecting audiences with Holocaust survivors. Cosponsored by FIU Libraries, MAST at FIU, the Vice Provost’s Council on the Biscayne Bay Campus, and OLLI. Part of FIU’s 7th Annual Holocaust & Genocide Awareness Week, presented by the Holocaust & Genocide Studies Program, Hillel at FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU.

January 24, 2022 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM Caitlyn Campana at cacampan@fiu.edu

Click here for the Zoom info

Join together to sip wine and watch on the screen award-winning Jewish podcast host of Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books discuss her new book Moms Don't Have Time to Have Kids.

Date:January 18, 2022
Time:7:30 pm
Location:Zoom

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“Not since college have I been so excited about learning. To be involved with such brilliant scholars and wonderful fellow students is the great gift of the COVID tragedy.”

These are the words of Ann Zartler, an active participant in the Florence Melton School of Adult Learning & Growth/Melton & More classes. Zartler, like hundreds of other adult learners from across the nation, has benefited from the stimulating courses offered virtually each semester. Registration for this educational opportunity is now open for the spring season. Explore courses such as Judaism and Films of Moral Struggle; The Jewish Influence on Jazz, Blues and Rock; Degenerate: An Examination of Nazi Germany Through Art and more from the comfort of your home. Adult Learning & Growth is a department of Federation subsidiary agency the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE). For more information and to register, please click here.

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Enjoy an outdoor celebration of Tu B'shvat. Fun and recreational activities for the entire family. Kosher food to purchase.

Sunday, January 16, 2022 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at T.Y. Park in Hollywood

Join us at this community event!