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Dear John,
Sometimes, it is hard to imagine how someone could hate so much.
When I learned of the plight of Rabbi Naftaly Hertzel and his family, that’s all I could think about.
Take a Stand Against Hate. Join the Fight for Faith.
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For the past eight years, the Hertzels have been victims of illegal, discriminatory and antisemitic actions – some of the most hateful that I have seen.
As I listened to their story, I couldn’t believe the lengths that the Loggers’ Run Homeowners Association in Boca Raton, Florida had gone to discriminate against the Hertzels.
The question in all of this is why would they treat the Hertzels with such hate?
It’s because they are Jewish. There’s really no other reason.
You see the Hertzels provide the only religious services for orthodox Jews within a six-mile radius. They feel blessed to serve a large Jewish community through their limited-space Chabad Israeli Center.
It seems that the Hertzels went too far in 2015 when they sought to acquire land from the HOA to build a synagogue.
Following in the footsteps of several churches that had worked with HOA to build new houses of worship within the Loggers’ Run community, Rabbi Hertzel consulted with a past board president to create a proposal to build a synagogue.
For the orthodox community, walkable proximity to a synagogue is essential, as their sincerely held religious beliefs prevent them from driving to religious services on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays.
The new synagogue would have not only allowed the Hertzels to provide a meeting space for their constituents that’s within walking distance, but the facility would have been designed to benefit the Loggers’ Run community as a whole.
Since learning of the synagogue, the HOA has become increasingly hostile towards the Hertzels.
From singling them out for punishments to preventing them from making renovations to allowing and even encouraging others to treat them with hostility, the Loggers’ Run HOA is fostering an environment of hatred towards the Hertzels.
When the Hertzels asked why they were being punished, they were told it was because the HOA President said he “doesn’t want Jews here” especially “religious Jews.”
When they tried to resolve their renovation issues, one HOA manager remarked “they should have ended them [the Jews]” during the Nazi time period.
And when they asked the HOA President about the possibility of a synagogue, he said that the Hertzels would “never” build one in Loggers’ Run. It would be “over his dead body.”
For the past several years, the hate and discrimination has only gotten worse.
It has escalated to the point that the Hertzels fear for their safety in their home and their children are afraid to play outside.
So much so, the Hertzels requested and received a security grant from the Department of Homeland Security to protect their home.
No one should be forced to live in fear in their own home.
That’s why First Liberty has stepped in to fight with the Hertzels and for the orthodox Jewish community in Loggers’ Run.
This discrimination can’t be allowed to continue. It’s wrong and it’s illegal.
Together, you and I can set this hateful HOA straight.
Put a Stop to Discrimination and Antisemitism. Stand with the Hertzels.
It’s Time to be Strong and of Good Courage.
We won’t stand by when faith-based attacks like this take place. After all, an attack against one faith is an attack against all faiths.
But we can’t fight and win against this type of hate without your help.
Right now, there’s no better way for you to take a stand against hate and stand for religious freedom than by supporting First Liberty financially.
Your support allows First Liberty to provide clients like the Hertzels with the best possible defense without ever sending them a bill.
And when you give before midnight on December 31st, you have an opportunity to double the impact of your gift. Every dollar you give will be matched thanks to our $600,000 Matching Grant.
Your gift will give us the means to protect religious freedom from discriminatory attacks and deliver hope for a brighter, more faith-filled tomorrow.
Together, we can make sure the Hertzels are once again free to live out their faith.
Yes, I will make a gift today >>
Grateful for you,
Kelly
Kelly Shackelford, Esq.
President, CEO & Chief Counsel
First Liberty Institute
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