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Published on January 21, 2025
Palm Beach County Jewish Leaders Show Solidarity in Israel Following CeasefireSource: Wikipedia/Yossipik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In a recent and significant development following an Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, a contingent of local Jewish leaders from Palm Beach County made their way to Israel, showing up just as the delicate peace process began to show its first tangible results. Michael Hoffman, the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, led the delegation which included Susan Shulman Pertnoy, a former JFPBC board chair, and Barry Berg, the current board chair for the organization. According to an interview with CBS12 News, Hoffman stated, "We're here to talk about what we can be doing philanthropically and from a leadership perspective on how we can support the people of Israel as they rebuild."

The delegation's itinerary had them visiting Hostage Square in Tel Aviv shortly after their arrival. Here, they paid homage to the three Israeli women released from captivity, as reported by WPBF. "We felt it was very profound and appropriate to go there to basically pay homage and solace knowing that there are three hostages that were released just a few hours before we touched ground," Hoffman expressed.

Fulfilling a promise to stand by those affected by the conflict, Hoffman and his peers are spending their time in Israel visiting war-stricken areas and engaging in humanitarian missions. Their journey is also a reminder of the 350,000 individuals residing in Jewish homes across Palm Beach County, illustrating the deep communal ties binding the region to the state of Israel; a bond made stark by the tragedies of October 7th, when many had been touched by the violence as Hoffman told CBS12 News.

Despite Hoffman's acknowledgment of a palpable sense of relief with the cessation of rocket fire in Israel, undercurrents of anxiety about the future still persist. "This is a country where people are traumatized," Hoffman said in a statement recorded by WPBF, speaking to the emotional aftermath of a society that has survived the throes of conflict. Finally, their mission of solidarity extends beyond Israel, with plans to venture to Lebanon in a continuation of their efforts to support all those affected by the conflict in the wider region.

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