Florida Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds visited Lubavitch Educational Center on Monday and met with fifty rabbis, community activists, and representatives of the South Florida Jewish community and its local Jewish schools.
The congressman was joined by his wife, Erika Donalds, who works for the US Secretary of Education, Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, and community activist Barbara Feingold.
“As the largest Jewish school in the US outside New York, Congressman Donalds’s visit here is a powerful affirmation of the shared values that bind our community to his vision for Florida’s future,” said Rabbi Benjy Korf, LEC’s head of school.
Donalds, who grew up in Crown Heights and got his start in politics from championing school choice, expressed his commitment to working to give every child access to a quality education that is right for them. He also pledged to continue fighting antisemitism, especially on campus, which he has been doing via his position on the House Oversight Committee. He pointed to his recent visit to the antisemitic protest encampments at George Washington University, which he worked with law enforcement to disperse, and the bill he co-sponsored that reinforced state security funding for Jewish schools.
Sheriff Cordero-Stutz also spoke at the event and reiterated her support for the safety of the Jewish community. “Jews should never feel targeted,” she said. About the antisemitic campus protests, she believes it never should have happened to begin with. “You’ve got to nip such behavior in the bud,” she said.
After his talk, Donalds visited some classrooms and engaged with the students.
Photos by Menachem Williams
