ZOA Florida activists and Florida Executive
Director Sharona Whisler with Congressman
Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
ZOA Florida activists and Sharona Whisler with
Congressman Brian Mast (R-FL)
Navy Seal whose right eye was destroyed in an
improvised explosive device attack in Afghanistan,
and Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN), who lost an
arm during his military service in Vietnam.
Speaking movingly, Rep. Mast noted, “The
best thing we can hope for is living through
those moments of difficulty, and then having
times that we enjoy. In Israel, you have the
same thing.”
First-time participant Seth Nagdeman of
Palm Beach reflected on his experience in
Washington, D.C.: “It was great to have the
opportunity to be involved with the ZOA
Advocacy Mission. The whole process was
well-organized from the moment I arrived.
After participating in this mission, I realize the
importance of what the ZOA stands for and
what it does on Capitol Hill. I urge everyone
to support the ZOA and get involved with its
missions.”
Israel-Hatred at the Public
Library
In June 2019, the Stirling Road Branch
of the Broward County Library hosted a
deeply troubling event entitled, “Islamophobia,
Anti-Semitism, and the Movement
for Palestinian Rights.” Prior to this event,
members of the community reached out to
the library and to a few Broward County
Commissioners, expressing concern about
the hateful agenda of the event’s sponsors and
ZOA Florida activists with their Senator
Rick Scott (R-FL)
ZOA Florida activists with Congressman
Michael Waltz (R-FL)
ZOA Florida Executive
Director Sharona Whisler
with Rep. Gregg Steube
(R-FL)
the groups that would be represented there.
They included Dream Defenders, a local
branch of the anti-Semitic Black Lives Matter
movement, and an anti-Israel group that calls
itself “Jewish Voice for Peace.”
An almost identical event took place a
couple of months prior, at the public Civic
Center in Melbourne, Florida. All the event’s
panelists have a track record of denying
Israel’s right to exist, supporting the anti-Semitic
BDS movement - whose goal is Israel’s
destruction, and promoting lies about Israel
that cross the line into anti-Semitism.
Instead of making it clear at the Broward
event that by hosting the program, the library
was not endorsing the views expressed there,
the librarian on staff stated that the library
was proud to be hosting the event. ZOA
drafted a letter to the Broward County Commissioners
and library director, which was
signed by other local Jewish groups, including
the Jewish Federation of Broward County,
alerting them to this disturbing occurrence.
The letter requested that the Commissioners
and the library director condemn the
anti-Semitism expressed at the event, and suggested
steps to ensure that the library is never
again misused to promote anti-Semitism or
any other form of bigotry.
For more information or to get involved
with ZOA Florida, contact florida@zoa.org.
Around the Country: Florida 67
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