City of Sunny Isles Beach Official Website
By Larisa Svechin, Mayor
(Friday, November 3, 2023) – Saturday, October 7, 2023, will forever be known as a day of unspeakable abomination, unimageable evil, and an excruciating reminder that hatred and antisemitism persist as the single most dangerous blight on the Jewish people.
Absolute evil and darkness brought unthinkable horror to the people of Israel, the collective Jewish community, and the world. This unprovoked terrorist massacre by Hamas against innocent civilians, including babies, elderly, Holocaust survivors, women, men, and even pets, was an event we never thought we would witness again. Yet, it happened while we slept. Not since the Shoah have so many Jews been terrorized, maimed, raped, tortured, and murdered.
The devastation of this atrocity will affect generations. Our community collectively mourns and weeps. In some way, we all have a connection to Israel, whether through relatives, friends, friends of friends, or just the fact that it is the only democratic country in the Middle East that shares our values and beliefs. For me, it is all these things. I anxiously await news daily from my family members and our community who are living or visiting Israel. Many in our community have deeper ties to Israel, and yet, we all jointly grieve and pray.
Israel remains strong and determined in the face of this adversity; they will win. However, they do not stand alone. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is for us to stand with Israel, particularly with our sister city, Netanya. Sunny Isles Beach stands with Israel. I stand with Israel.
In the coming weeks, and possibly months, we must maintain and uphold our support of the people of Israel and the Jewish community of Sunny Isles Beach. Our city is a place where civilized, kind, generous, and deeply spiritual people of many nations, languages, religions, and ages live and work. As we enter the holiday season and gather for Thanksgiving dinner, remember that we are all interconnected. Now is the time to hold each other up, take time to do good, and bring light to each day. We must never forget that “in the midst of darkness, light persists.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Contact Mayor Larisa Svechin at mayor@sibfl.net or 305.792.1753.
—
The views, opinions, representations, information, or statements made or expressed by any individual contributor in this newsletter are those of the individual contributor only and do not represent the views or beliefs of the City of Sunny Isles Beach or those of the broader community. The views, opinions, representations, information, or statements by individual contributors are provided on an “as-is” basis with no guarantees of completeness or accuracy, and the City of Sunny Isles Beach assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omission therein, or for the consequences of any action or inaction on the basis of any views, opinions, representations, information or statements made or expressed by individual contributors.