Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2022 ZOA Florida Heroes for Israel Gala, making it the most successful ZOA Florida gala yet! Our sold out event was a true testament to the evening's honorees and the impact of ZOA's incredible work! Support for Israel and Zionism is STRONGER THAN EVER IN SOUTH FLORIDA! Thank you to everyone who was part of it! Photos and recording of the program to come, stay tuned! The evening started with Hatikva and the Bal Harbour Honor Guard presenting the colors during the National Anthem, and Gala Chairs Marian and Paul Kruss leading the Prayer for the State of Israel. Israeli Deputy Consul General Mike Driquez presented the "Light Unto Nations Synagogue Award" to Rabbi Ariel Yeshurun on behalf of Skylake Synagogue, followed by a video presentation from Florida Governor, The Honorable Ron DeSantis (video below). Laurie Moskowitz Hirsch from the Irving I. Moskowitz Foundation presented the "Zionist Hero Award" to The Honorable David Friedman, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel. In his acceptance speech, Ambassador Friedman reminisced about receiving a photo from his daughter draped in an Israeli flag at the entrance of the Birkenau concentration camp in Poland, while he was receiving an award at the 2017 ZOA National Gala. That and the extraordinarily enthusiastic response from the ZOA audience on mentioning working to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem was a pinnacle moment for him that propelled the drive he needed to push through, without delay, the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's eternal and undivided capital and rightfully relocating the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. He was truly moved by the ZOA audience “ yearning” for recognizing and moving the Embassy. We were honored to have CEO of Newsmax Media, Chris Ruddy host our expert panel, "Groundbreaking Achievements and Challenges for Israel and the Jewish People", featuring Ambassador Friedman, The Honorable Gabriel Groisman, and ZOA National President Morton Klein. Ambassador Friedman continued his remarks about Jerusalem and discussed the challenges of the Biden Administration that is focused on undermining so much of what he worked on as Ambassador. Mayor Groisman shared why it was important to him to get the anti-BDS ordinance passed and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism passed in Bal Harbour, setting a precedent for other municipalities and local governments to follow his lead. He shared that it is his guiding principles as a proud Jew and Zionist that drives him. ZOA Natl. President Morton Klein ended the panel with a fiery speech about Iran as one of the current greatest threats facing Israel, explaining that President Biden is planning to reimpose the dangerously flawed "Iran Deal", which will allow Iran to legally develop nuclear weapons within two and half years. To prevent this dangerous reality, Mr. Klein said that real sanctions and a true military threat are necessary, and that true united support for Israel must be expressed for whatever they will need to do to prevent a nuclear Iran. Mr. Klein also addressed the dramatic increase in Israel hatred and antisemitism, which is fueled by lies about Jerusalem being holy to Muslims and the lie of "occupation". He rightly defined Mahmoud Abbas as a terrorist dictator and declared that creating a Palestinian Arab state would be a terrorist state. He appealed to rabbis and Jewish leaders and political leaders to speak out about these issues to their constituents. The Honorable Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, Israeli Consul General in Miami presented the final award of the evening, "The Pillar of the Community Award" to Mayor Gabriel Groisman. Mayor Groisman reiterated his sentiments about being driven by his Jewish and Zionist principles and commented on the fact that while he may "ruffle some feathers" along the way, he's glad that there's an organization like ZOA that isn't afraid of ruffling feathers by speaking the truth. ZOA National Vice-Chair, Dr. Paul Tartell introduced Mr. Klein for final remarks of the evening. Mr. Klein ended the program by highlighting some of ZOA's recent achievements, including that ZOA prevented 5 major anti-Israel government appointments, ZOA ‘s singular success in getting Title VI reinterpreted to cover Jewish students for discrimination and harrassment on campuses, filing numerous lawsuits under TitleVI and that ZOA's campaign against the opening of a U.S. consulate in Jerusalem for the Palestinian Arabs has helped stop the Biden Administration from pursuing this reckless policy undermining Jerusalem’s Jewish sovereignty. Mr. Klein also shared that recently, he and board members David Schoen and Dr Paul Tartell met with the Turkish Ambassador in Washington, D.C. and asked that Turkey stop harboring Hamas terrorists. We are hearing that Turkey is making progress on expelling these terrorists. Mr. Klein ended his remarks with words from the Torah, saying that G-d promised the Holy Land of Israel to the Jewish people forever and "unlike politicians, G-d always keeps his promises"! DONATE TO ZOA ‌ ‌ ‌ About Us News Videos ZOA Report Events Founded in 1897, ZOA played a key role in the Jewish State's re-establishment. Today, ZOA is the leading major American Jewish organization courageously defending Israel and the Jewish people; fighting against all forms of antisemitism, including anti-Jewish boycotts; and promoting the Jewish people's lawful right to live in and settle historic Jewish lands. ZOA exposes that a Palestinian state would endanger Israel's existence; presents the facts about the Arab/Islamic war against Israel; and combats the anti-Israel lie that Israel is an "occupier" of her own land. ZOA spearheaded long battles to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and apply civil rights protections to Jewish students. ZOA provides free legal assistance and programs to pro-Israel students at numerous college campuses. ZOA's bold, unapologetic voice has a significant impact on public discourse and policy. Copyright © Zionist Organization of America 2021, All rights reserved. Zionist Organization of America | 633 Third Ave, 31 B, New York, NY 10017 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]