PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Jewish leaders, faith communities and hundreds of residents gathered at the 5th annual Countering Antisemitism Summit, calling on people of all backgrounds to take a stand against rising antisemitism.
WATCH BELOW: 'It warms my heart, because I know we are not alone,' Shira Guili tells WPTV's Joel Lopez
Approximately 500 people from different races and religions attended the summit, where experts in schools, media and government shared strategies for combating antisemitism.
Rabbi Moshe Scheiner of the Palm Beach Synagogue said the threat facing Jewish communities is urgent and growing.
"The Jewish community feels endangered, and a grave threat because of the skyrocketing and explosion of antisemitism," Scheiner said. "At the same time, our message is it's not just a Jewish problem. It's a cultural problem for our society. How can society tolerate this kind of hatred and antisemitism? Why do synagogues need security guards on an ongoing basis? Why is this tolerated and accepted as normal in mainstream society?"
Scheiner said the fight against antisemitism cannot be won without broad community involvement.
"We cannot fight this alone, we need the involvement of not just Jews but every member of society to stand up and say we are going to defeat the antisemitism and hatred because ultimately like a cancer, it will consume our nation," Scheiner said. "One person can make a huge difference if they raise their voice."
Scheiner reflected on how much has changed since the summit launched.
"We began this antisemitism conference five years ago in 2021, and at that point we thought antisemitism was a growing problem in America that we needed to address. And we decided to bring together the best minds and people who are experts in this field to educate us and empower us to all get involved," Scheiner said. "Little did we know five years later, the situation would have exploded and skyrocketed the way it has. And so this conference is more pressing and relevant today than it was five years ago. We all saw what happened in Michigan last week, we've seen numerous attacks against Jewish communities and we want to come together and stand together."
Lydia Maldonado, a local Hispanic pastor with Faith Family and Freedom Church, said the event was a reminder that the fight against hate belongs to everyone.
"We have to support each other," Maldonado said. "We support the Jewish community, it's important we come together because we are one. The antisemitism is horrible, it's cruel. I think when God created us, he created us all equal all one so to see this going on is cruel."
Maldonado said she hopes the summit sparks lasting change through education.
"Education, and education will kill ignorance, through the education and all the speakers speaking their experience," Maldonado said. "So far it's very good, a lot of education, a lot of information that we need."
Among those honored at the summit was Segev Kalfon, a man from Israel who survived being held hostage by Hamas for 738 days underground.
Also traveling from Israel for the event was Shira Guili, whose brother Ran Guili was among the first Israelis taken hostage and did not make it out alive. She said her family received her brother's body back in January — a closure the family desperately needed.
"My family and I we went through a lot after two and a half years not knowing where he was," said Guili.
Guili said seeing the outpouring of support at the summit was overwhelming.
"Wow, it warms my heart," Guili said. "Because I know we are not alone."
Guili said she is now working to create a pre-military school in Israel in her brother's name and honor. When I asked what her brother would say seeing her advocate the way she is, she had a clear answer.
"That he's proud of me, 100%, thank you guys for all the support," Guili said.
Despite her own grief, Guili said she holds no bitterness toward the families whose loved ones came home alive.
"Yeah he came back and he's not alive, when I saw the other families I'm happy for them. 100% I'm happy, because they are my brothers and sisters who came back," Guili said.
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