Page 35 - Boca ViewPointe - November '23

November 2023 Viewpointe, Page 35
Mayor’s Update: A Solemn, Heartfelt Message

Scott Singer is the 35th Mayor Hamas terrorists are so hard to fathom and harder to bear. Interchange. We visited Kibbutz Erez, a little more than a
of Boca Raton and was re- I’m writing to share some thoughts below I posted on thousand yards from the Gaza border. Among the people
elected without opposition for social media the day after these disgusting surprise attacks we met was the mayor of the Sha’ar Hanegev regional
a final term. A South Florida by civilians. They have hit hard personally, in part because council, Ofir Liebstein, pictured here (bottom middle). I was
native, attorney, mediator, I know some of those lost from my recent visit to the Gaza devastated to learn that Ofir was shot and murdered Saturday
and small business owner, border earlier this year. As I write this, five days after the morning defending his community, and of other reports that
Scott and his wife Bella live attacks, I’m still heartbroken. I know I’m not alone. But I take some of his immediate family members were also murdered
in Broken Sound with their solace in some of the community events and strong and united and the rest taken across the border as hostages.
two young children. showings of solidarity against these utterly unjustifiable
terrorist acts against humanity. There are many community
As your mayor, most of resources for all of us and ways to help the innocents and their
our conversations focus on families. At our city council meetings this week, each of my
our work to improve and safeguard neighborhoods, keeping colleagues and I spoke from the heart about our outrage and
taxes low and growing jobs, and protecting our special our support for Israel and its people. Let us stay united as a
quality of life here in Boca Raton. But this week the eyes of community – and vigilant in response to this week’s jihad
the world – and all of us here – are on the Middle East. The threats by extremist radicals – as we find ways to help those
images and reports of brutal, barbaric murders, beheadings, in need and each other.
rape, torture and assaults of thousands of Israeli civilians – In March, I joined a delegation of nine American mayors
infants and elderly Holocaust survivors among them – by to Israel as part of the American Jewish Committee’s Project

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Mayor Liebstein had told us stories of the community’s
challenging life so close to the border. We saw the spot where
terrorists’ missiles had killed his friend. We saw the school bus
stop for young children –brightly painted bomb shelters (bottom
right). To live there, everyone needed to be able to get to a bomb
shelter within a dozen seconds in case of missile attacks. Thus,
to wait outside for the bus, kids still needed a reinforced bunker.
For the same reason, our guide said his teenage daughter had
never in her life taken a shower with the bathroom door closed
because with a closed door it would take too long for her to
reach the bunker in case missiles were launched!
It was hard to imagine living under that threat then. The
brutal scenes of the last days and the mental image of what
must have happened on the peaceful streets and playgrounds
I walked just a few months ago are beyond comprehension.
The first photo (bottom left) shows not only the Gaza
border, but also the site of the planned call center the Israeli
regional council would build to give jobs to Gaza residents.
Mayor Liebstein was excited and committed to this effort to
improve the lives of those subjected to Gaza’s rulers’ reign
of terror by giving the residents better opportunities. Hamas,
with the support of another rogue actor, Iran, murdered him
and hundreds other of innocent people anyway.
Thousands slaughtered: killed, wounded and taken
hostage. Videos of victims’ bodies being paraded as trophies.
Infants struck down and tortured–infants! Americans and
other nations’ citizens among the dead and kidnapped.
These were not acts of lone wolves. This was an
unprovoked invasion during a holiday and the Sabbath.
Hamas leadership not only saw fit to murder and kidnap
thousands of civilians – children, mothers and the elderly
2 Emery Lane, Stratham, NH 03885 among them – but released footage of their own cheering
of the murders and hostage taking. This is not a question of
misunderstanding; rather, these are evil, terrorist murderers.
Not only does Israel have the unequivocable right to
781-956-6899 • michelle@michellersells.com defend itself; our nation and the world have a duty to stand
http://michellersells.com • License #: 3463353 united against this evil, violence and the unprovoked attacks
and indiscriminate murders.
This is not a time for neutrality, but rather to stand
strong. Calls for a so-called “cease fire” are at best woefully
Michelle Ricciuti-Carter REALTOR ® misguided and, for some, imbued with antisemitism. Would a
cease fire after Pearl Harbor have been appropriate? Without
provocation and with hostages still taken, there cannot be
peace and there needs to be justice.
Fellow Jewish Americans face alarming increases in
antisemitism here. Earlier this year, your City Council
unanimously adopted the IHRA’s working definition
of antisemitism as a better tool for education and law
enforcement. In March, I saw a bit more in Sha’ar Hanegev
about the existential threat that Israelis face every day from
terrorist groups who do not merely disagree on policy but
deny the Jewish people’s right to exist and continue to
threaten their extinction. Yesterday was the latest attempt
to act on those threats. Justice requires that we stand strong
and united against hate, violence and murder.
Please join me in prayers for the memory of all the
fallen, like Ofir Liebstein, who died tragically while striving
to protect his family and his neighbors. Please join me in
prayers for the safety of those who defend against terror,
for the swift and safe return of the innocent hostages, for
all of us feeling the shock and loss, and that both peace
and justice should reign throughout the world. May the
memories of those lost be a blessing. 