House District 106 is the most Jewish legislative district in Florida. From Miami Beach to Aventura, it is home to Jewish families representing the full spectrum of Jewish life, from the most secular to the most devout, including multi-generational Floridians and newcomers from across the diaspora. As the mother of a Jewish daughter and a member of one of the district’s largest synagogues, I see firsthand the vibrancy of our Jewish community and the weight of the responsibility we carry. The person representing us in Tallahassee has a profound duty to advocate for our safety. Instead of working to protect us, Fabian Basabe has been working behind the scenes to block legislation to create a statewide task force to combat antisemitism.
Our synagogues and Jewish institutions spend millions every year on armed guards, bollards, and reinforced security just to keep their doors open. Eric Fingerhut, CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, calls this the “Jewish tax.” Scott Kaufman, CEO of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, which serves our community, put it plainly: every dollar spent on security is a dollar that cannot be spent on the joy of Jewish life.
Just this week, we saw how real the threat is when a terrorist drove a car full of explosives and a gun into the Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan…