On Thursday, Sen. Rick Scott walked into Etz Chaim Synagogue in Jacksonville to talk about something that has local families on edge: how to keep Jewish schools and congregations safe as antisemitic incidents climb across the country. Inside, he met with community leaders and toured the Torah Academy of Jacksonville, sitting down for a roundtable that zeroed in on security planning and campus protection. Scott told those gathered that the moment called for urgent coordination and stronger tools to protect students and worshippers.
According to the Tampa Free Press, the senator met with rabbis and civic leaders including Rabbi Yaakov Fisch and Rabbi Aharon Yosef Green of Etz Chaim, Rabbi Joseph Hamaoui of Torah Academy, and representatives from the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida and the Jewish Community Alliance. Before the formal discussion, Scott walked the halls of the Torah Academy and spoke directly with students about how local officials and federal agencies might better coordinate. Organizers described the event as one stop in a series of meetings Scott has been holding around Florida since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Scott referenced George Washington’s famous assurance that “America gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance,” a line that has become something of a touchstone in these conversations. He also warned that congregations “have to consider the unthinkable and prepare for the worst,” the Tampa Free Press reported. Citing an “almost 900%” increase in antisemitic incidents over time, he pointed to national monitors that describe the same long-term spike.
ADL Data And The National Picture
The Anti-Defamation League counted 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2024, the highest annual total the group has ever recorded, the ADL reported. In its broader materials, the organization notes that incidents have increased by nearly 900% over the last decade, language it uses to help educators and community leaders explain the trend.
In guidance for schools and religious institutions, the ADL says that surge has pushed many places to beef up security protocols and improve how they document and report incidents. For communities like Jacksonville’s, the national numbers are the backdrop to very local conversations about cameras, drills and who calls whom when something looks off.
Federal Response: Bills And Resolutions
In Washington, Scott has been backing measures that aim squarely at campuses and congregations. He reintroduced the Preventing Antisemitic Harassment on Campus Act, a proposal that would expand how Title VI civil rights protections are enforced and create financial consequences for colleges and universities that do not protect Jewish students, according to the bill text on Congress.gov.
The Senate also approved a bipartisan resolution recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month and condemning antisemitic acts. Scott co-led that measure with Sen. Jacky Rosen, his office said in a statement. Sen. Scott’s office framed the resolution as part of a broader effort to rally lawmakers against bigotry, pairing symbolic support with the push for concrete policy.
What Leaders Say Jacksonville Should Do Next
Local organizations that joined the Etz Chaim discussion described the meeting as nuts-and-bolts rather than headline-grabbing. The focus was on drills, clear reporting lines and information sharing between synagogues, schools and law enforcement, not lofty speeches.
The Jewish Community Alliance has said it “maintains a strong and proactive security posture” in a recent post, and the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida has been working to connect congregations, educational institutions and police in ongoing advocacy efforts. JCA, the Federation and Etz Chaim’s leadership say they plan to keep holding follow-up meetings to translate federal proposals into real-world security measures on the ground. Etz Chaim characterized the conversation as a step toward concrete, long-term planning for Jacksonville’s Jewish community.
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