The City of St. Augustine’s commissioners unanimously passed a resolution supporting Florida’s definition of antisemitism under Section 1.015, Florida Statutes.
The state’s statue defines antisemitism as a certain perception of Jewish individuals that may be expressed as hatred toward such individuals.
The city aligned its definition with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition to address a global rise in antisemitism and discrimination.
Before the commissioners passed the resolution, Mayor Nancy Sikes Kline underscored the importance of the resolution in light of her stepfather, Dr. Henry Bates, who was a child Holocaust survivor.
Kline also spoke of the impact her recent trip to Israel had.
“Isreal is a beautiful, highly resourceful, determined young country,” she said.
Kline said that there’s no place for hate and antisemitism in America’s oldest city and that “we must be clear about that in our words and deeds.” She also spoke of her gratitude for being an American citizen.
“I thank God that I’m fortunate enough to wake up every day knowing that my family, friends and neighbors are all safe and free from fear,” she said during the meeting. “We should all be able to live safe and free from fear. After visiting Isreal, I am grateful to live in peace and freedom, and I will never take it for granted again. May God bless you and may God Bless America.”
The city thanked the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida, members of the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Chabad of S. Augustine, First Congregation Sons of Israel, and Temple Bet Yam for attending the meeting and offering public comment in support of the resolution.
Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, president of the St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society, described the resolution as a major step in fighting the scourge of antisemitism.
“Anti-Semitism is light sleeper and once awakened, it’s very hard to put to bed,” he told the St. Augustine Record via email. “We look forward to the day when no ethnic, racial or religious group will ever be victimized by the purveyors of hate among us. In the words of Micah, a prophet, we look forward to the day when everyone will be able to “sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid!”
Shapiro noted that even though the St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society includes Jewish and non-Jewish members, the society “watches with interest and alarm at the rising tide of anti-Semitism.”
“The uprising of hate has affected security arrangements at our activities and led us to explore the history of anti-Semitism in and around St. Augustine,” he said.
Nelson France, Jewish Community Relations Council director for the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida, underscored the importance of the resolution.
“We recognize the crucial involvement of local Jewish leaders and clergy from Temple Bet Yam, First Sons of Israel, and S. Augustine Chabad, who came together in a united voice to support the resolution and educate on the impacts of antisemitism,” he told the St. Augustine Record via email.
“The Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida applaud the St. Augustine City Commission for unanimously adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Working Definition of Antisemitism, making it the first municipality in Northeast Florida to take this significant step,” Mariam Feist, CEO of Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida, said via email.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: St. Augustine City Commission adopts antisemitism definition that aligns with Florida’s
Reporting by Lucia Viti, St. Augustine Record / St. Augustine Record
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