Oct 17, 2023
Supporting Israel, Regardless of Faith
This week, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation's Israel Emergency Fund (IEF) received a generous $10,000 contribution from Stefan Hoyer, a non-Jewish resident of Copenhagen, who shared his reasons for giving. “The Jewish people are not alone,” said Hoyer. “Giving funds is the least anyone can do. Some people can give a lot, some can give almost nothing. It all counts as doing the right thing. I can only imagine the people of Israel living in fear … again.”
Hoyer, who owns a Miami-based business, was introduced to Federation by a good friend after he asked how he could help show his support of Israel. “My friend assured me that the funds would actually go to help the people of Israel (which is my pure intention) and I believe that donating to the emergency fund will have the greatest direct impact.”
Federations's IEF has raised more than $20 million from over 3,600 donors since its launch on October 7. Click here to see how the funds are being allocated. To make a donation online now, click here.
Hoyer has a long family history of helping the Jewish people. “My grandfather was a poor road builder in Denmark during World War II,” he said. “For years during the Nazi occupation of our country, he and my grandmother welcomed Jewish people being hunted by the Nazis and in transit to Sweden to stay in their home, where they shared their food rations and risked their own lives. That is giving a lot, from someone who had little to give except human decency and doing the right thing in a difficult situation,” he continued. “So, my small gift to help Israel is also a gift that means a lot to me and my family. You have given us the opportunity to carry on a family value, to exemplify human decency and to do the right thing. Thank you for that.”
And what is Hoyer’s message for others? “I believe that if you like to live a fulfilled life, spend some time and effort to help others. And right now, the people of Israel need our help. Regardless of your faith, if you define yourself as a decent human, then you cannot ignore the recent and historical malicious persecution of the Jewish people and attacks on their home.
“The Greater Miami Jewish Federation makes it very easy for you to make a difference and make a decision that will define your — and perhaps future generations’ — character.”
