Sarasota Jewish community rallies to show pride

In solidarity and pride, Sarasota's Jewish community and its supporters will band together on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and AJC West Coast Florida are organizing a "No Hate. No Fear" solidarity rally that mirrors the recent New York City march of the same name that drew 25,000 supporters. 

The local event begins at 5 p.m. at the J.D. Hamel Park at Main Street and Gulfstream Avenue.

According to a press release from the Jewish Federation of Sarasota, the event is in conjunction with the Heller Community Relations Committee and local clergy from the Sarasota Manatee Rabbinic Association, Sarasota Ministerial Association, Islamic Society of Sarasota and Bradenton and the Diocese of Venice will attend. 

“The event is an opportunity for the community to show its support amid a rise in anti-Semitism and hate crimes around the country," Jewish Federation CEO Howard Tevlowitz said. "When anti-Semitism strikes our community, we stand up and stand together. We hope Jews and non-Jews will join us to show hate has no home here.”

This is the second event since Sunday, Jan. 5 to gather local Jewish people to show their pride and support, after a gathering at the Sarasota Yacht Club rallied Sarasota's Jewish community behind an online AJC campaign, #JewishAndProud. 

A group of a couple dozen people associated with and organized by the American Jewish Committee gathered at the Sarasota Yacht Club to publicly display their Jewish pride with T-shirts and signs with the hashtag #JewishAndProud. The event was part of a larger movement with AJC's international committees to raise awareness and combat the rise of anti-Semitism around the world. Communities of Jewish people are organizing worldwide and joining in the hashtag campaign.

"We shouldn't hide, but feel pride," AJC West Coast Florida director Brian Lipton said. "We can't let this (violence) become the norm."