Several hundred participants came out on, Sunday, November 15, for a rally at the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach. The community event, dubbed: “Never Again –Stand Together Against Hatred” was a response to the worldwide rise in anti-Semitism and the campaign against Israel’s right to exist.
The rally commemorated the 77th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. The event, which took place two days after the ISIS-led terrorist attacks in Paris, recognized the victims of the French massacre.
Speakers included an eyewitness to Kristallnacht, Jewish leaders, U.S. politicians, the Israeli consul general of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico and a pastor from Christians United for Israel. The gathering was sponsored by 78 local organizations.
Norman Braman, founding chairman of the Holocaust Memorial of Miami Beach and past president of The Greater Miami Jewish Federation, gave a powerful speech documenting the rise of worldwide anti-Semitism. He also spoke of the phenomenon of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which he called an anti-Semitic ploy.
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson caused a stir when he took the podium as several in the audience booed and called him a traitor for his vote in favor of the Iranian nuclear deal.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, however, was met with loud applause. His pro-Israel stance was well known by the crowd. He voiced disappointment with American political leaders who have failed Israel with their inaction. Rubio also condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. He said, “We are reminded that evil is alive and well in the world and we are reminded that we are still called to be vigilant and to defeat it in every form that it takes.”
The gathering began with the singing of the “Star Spangled Banner” and “Hatikvah” and ended with prayers on behalf of the United States and Israel and Kaddish.
