On Friday, March 7, Florida’s House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution declaring the state’s solidarity with Israel and support of its fight against terrorism.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman Oirechman, director of Chabad of Tallahassee and the capitol district, was invited by House Speaker Johnnie Byrd to recite the invocation at the event, where he met with Byrd to discuss the resolution.
Sponsored by Republican Representative Adam Hasner, of Delray Beach, the resolution calls on Florida and Israel to maintain healthy relations with each other and offers support through economic trade, cultural exchange programs, and promotion of tourism in both states. “The resolution sends an important message of our support for Israel as the only democratic nation in the Middle East, and America’s staunchest ally in the region,” says Hasner.
While it is true that Israel has garnered major support in the sunshine state because of its large Jewish population, numbering upwards of 600,00, Hasner emphasizes the fact that Florida’s population is still very diverse, making the unanimous passing of this resolution so remarkable. Interestingly this is the first resolution to pass Florida’s House of Representatives in 2003.
Florida, notes Rabbi Oirechman, has been hard hit in the aftermath of September 11th, as tourism plummeted in a state whose economy is largely dependent on it, so Floridians are sympathetic to Israel’s own plight, ever since the rise of the second intifadah in September 2000.
As Chabad Rabbi to the capitol district, this is not Oirechman’s first trip to the House of Representatives, but it was an especially significant trip as it marked an important milestone in American-Israeli relations, setting an example for other states.
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