Miami Beach mayor leads group aimed at curbing anti-Semitism

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — It is a first for any mayor, nationwide.

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner will lead a group of Jewish mayors and municipal leaders that will meet quarterly to discuss anti-Semitism, which has been increasing nationwide.

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“We felt it was necessary to come together through the Combat Anti-Semitism movement to create this alliance of Jewish mayors, municipal leaders, to be able to have a strong voice,” said Meiner.

This will go beyond the Jewish community.

According to the mayor’s office, in 2024, the most recent year for which statistics are available from the FBI, a total of 11,679 hate crime incidents were logged in the United States involving 14,243 victims.

Slightly less than a quarter of the incidents, or 23.5%, involved religion.

“Any racism, hate, bigotry or anti-Semitism that we’re seeing explode in our country is a danger to our country and we’re looking to work together to eradicate it,” said Meiner.

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We have seen the attacks on Jewish synagogues in the U.S.

In March, a 41-year-old rammed a pickup truck packed with fireworks and 35 gallons of gasoline into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, one of the largest synagogues in the United States.

With the ongoing war with Iran and Israel’s involvement, we have seen increased security at Jewish institutions.

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The event on Monday will conclude at the Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach.