Officials in one South Florida community have launched a first-of-its-kind effort to police antisemitism.
At a council meeting Wednesday night, the Village of Bal Harbour aimed to change the level of recognition regarding cases of antisemitism.
It’s a big step that, said Bal Harbour Mayor Gabriel Groisman said, is much easier for municipalities to handle. “It’s our role to do something to combat the rise of antisemitism,” he said. “Year over year, it’s growing exponentially, and we shouldn’t wait for the federal government, or even the state government, to do something. We can do it at the city levels.”
The measure takes place weeks after a man was caught on cellphone video shouting anti-Semitic threats outside a synagogue in Surfside on Thanksgiving morning.
It’s one of several acts of antisemitism that have taken place across South Florida in 2017.
Surfside and Miami Beach are also looking into the new law.
Bal Harbour also received letters of support from local Democratic and Republican legislators.