‘Byron Donalds has stood with the Jewish community and with Israel when it mattered most.’
The post 40 Florida rabbis sign open letter endorsing Byron Donalds for Governor appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
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Forty Florida rabbis have signed an open letter endorsing Byron Donalds for Governor, the campaign announced.
The campaign says the signers lead congregations and communities in 17 cities and seven counties, from Miami Beach, Boca Raton and Palm Beach to Tampa, Tallahassee and Okeechobee.
“Florida has become a place where Jewish families can build their lives, practice their faith, and raise the next generation without living in constant fear,” the rabbis wrote. “We look forward to working with you to keep Florida strong, safe, and welcoming for generations to come.”
Thirty-six of the 40 signers are in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Aventura and Hollywood have six each. Tampa, Tallahassee, Okeechobee and Ponte Vedra Beach have one each.
“It’s hard to get two rabbis to agree on anything, and 40 of them just agreed on Byron Donalds,” said Bryan E. Leib, a campaign surrogate. “This letter comes from every corner of our state. Jewish families know Byron will keep them safe, protect their right to choose how their children are educated, and never back down from fighting antisemitism.”
The rabbis cite Donalds’ pledge that the safety of Floridians is “non-negotiable,” and his answer to Jewish students from Florida Atlantic University at a Delray Beach town hall: “Direct question, direct answer: Antisemitism will never be tolerated on college campuses.” They credit his work in the Florida Legislature to expand scholarship programs, which they say helps give Jewish families access to a Jewish education. They also cite his support for Israel during the 2021 Hamas rocket attacks and his message on the third anniversary of Oct. 7: “Florida will ALWAYS stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters.”
“These are some of the most respected rabbinic leaders in Florida, and they came together because they know what’s at stake,” said Lisa Spies, the campaign’s Director of Jewish Outreach. “Byron Donalds has stood with the Jewish community and with Israel when it mattered most. Florida’s Jewish community is proud to stand with him.”
The signers, by city: Aventura, Rabbis Yaakov Bengio, Levy Forta, Yosef Galimid, Moshe Matz, David Nesenoff and Mendel Rosenfeld; Boca Raton, Rabbis Josh Broide, Yaakov Gibber, Mayer Kotlarsky, Dovid Leib Shur and Perry Tirschwell; Cooper City, Rabbis Pinny Andrusier and Tzvi Freund; Delray Beach, Rabbi Jack Engel; Fort Lauderdale, Rabbis Chaim Albert, Ariel Edry, Chaim Slavaticki and Pinchas Taylor; Golden Beach, Rabbi Chai Amar; Hollywood, Rabbis Yisroel Davis, Yaacov Laredo, Oren Levy, Moshe B. Parnes, Eliezer Rubin and Ezra Sharbani; Lauderhill, Rabbi Daniel Shahino; Miami Beach, Rabbis Daniel Hadar, Yisroel Janowski and Shlomo Stilerman; North Miami Beach, Rabbis Daniel Gross and Yaakov Homnick; Okeechobee, Rabbi Yakov Yoseph Moskowitz; Palm Beach, Rabbis Moshe Scheiner and Leibel Shmotkin; Ponte Vedra Beach, Rabbi Nochum Kurinsky; Sunny Isles Beach, Rabbi Abraham Azancot; Surfside, Rabbis Zalman Lipskar and Yair Massri; Tallahassee, Rabbi Schneur Z. Oirechman; and Tampa, Rabbi Eliezer Rivkin.
Donalds, endorsed by Donald Trump, won the Republican Primary in August with nearly half the vote in a field that included James Fishback, whose campaign the Republican Jewish Coalition called “openly bigoted” in congratulating Donalds on the win. He faces David Jolly, the former Republican Congressman now running as a Democrat, who took about 61% of his own Primary.
St. Pete Polls’ survey for Florida Politics had the race tied at 45% apiece. A Mason-Dixon poll for NBC6 and Telemundo 51 had Donalds up 7. Stetson University had him up 11. Change Research had a 47-47 tie. Decision Desk HQ moved its rating from Toss Up to Lean Republican.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 18 days away. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Mandatory early voting runs Oct. 24 through Oct. 31, and some counties open sites as early as Oct. 19. Mail ballots must reach the Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. on Election Day. They can be dropped at any early voting site in the voter’s county during early voting hours, but not at a polling place on Election Day.
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Ed. note: This story was drafted with assistance from AI. Editorial judgment, sourcing, and final review were performed by Peter Schorsch and the Florida Politics editorial team.
The post 40 Florida rabbis sign open letter endorsing Byron Donalds for Governor appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
