Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County brought together more than 70 donors and friends for Jewish Palm Beach in the Hamptons, an evening in Bridgehampton, NY. The reception marked the extraordinary growth and impact of Federation’s Palm Beach Center to Combat Antisemitism & Hatred and recognized the community leaders shaping its future.
Held at The Bridge, the gathering traced the Center’s evolution from a bold pilot launched three years ago to a permanent program with growing national influence. The Center’s work advances innovative approaches to combating antisemitism and hatred, strengthening community security, building allyship in the broader community, and fostering tolerance throughout Palm Beach County and beyond.
The evening featured a panel discussion led by Michael Hoffman, president and CEO of Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County; with Aaron Keyak, former Deputy Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism for the U.S. Department of State; and Josephine Gon, executive director of the Palm Beach Center to Combat Antisemitism & Hatred, who has led the Center through its growth and expanding impact.
The Palm Beach Center works in tandem with the Palm Beach Movement to Activate Jewish Life, a community-wide initiative that inspires greater connection, participation, and Jewish pride throughout the Palm Beaches.
“The Center is part of a larger Federation strategy to build a stronger Jewish future,” Hoffman shared. “The Center ensures our community is safe enough to show up, and the Palm Beach Movement to Activate Jewish Life creates a vibrant Jewish life worth showing up for. Together, they represent Federation’s vision for a Jewish future that is both secure and thriving.”
During the evening, Richard A. Friedman, co-chair of the Palm Beach Center to Combat Antisemitism & Hatred alongside Steven Tananbaum, addressed both the urgency of the work and the progress made possible through the generosity of many of the philanthropists attending the event.
“We can’t simply react to antisemitism and hatred; we need a long-term, proactive strategy grounded in education, partnership, and preparation,” Friedman said. “The support of this community has helped build one of the strongest Jewish community security models in the country while investing in innovative approaches that can create meaningful, lasting change.”
Today, Federation’s community security efforts protect more than 35 schools, synagogues, and Jewish organizations; Palm Beach County is also one of the few Jewish communities outside New York supported by a dedicated Intelligence Analysis Unit, providing real-time threat assessments and supporting rapid response.
Community support through the Palm Beach Center has also provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to support innovative programs focused on the arts, media literacy, campus leadership, interfaith engagement, and other strategies for combating antisemitism and hatred.
The work of The Center and The Movement runs on the generosity of the people who filled the room in Bridgehampton and the community in the Palm Beaches who share that commitment.
Photo credit: Ron Esposito
