Staff
Hundreds of Century Village East residents came together to show their support for Israel during a recent rally in the Clubhouse.
The program featured several speakers, including CVE Master Management Board President Eli Okun, Deerfield Beach Commissioner Bernie Parness, Broward County Commissioner Mark Bogen, and several clergy members.
In October, Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel. Hundreds of men, women and children were taken hostage by Hamas. According to the Israeli prime minister's office, more than 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, with 6,900 others injured. Israeli officials say over 300 Israel Defense Forces soldiers have been killed since Oct. 7, including over 60 since the ground campaign began.
In response to that attack, Israel has vowed to destroy the Hamas militants who run Gaza. Approximately 15,000 Palestinians have been killed, Hamas-run Gaza health authorities say, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
The Clubhouse rally prompted an increase in security in the Village. According to the Anti-Defamation League, in the month following Hamas’s terror attack on Israel, antisemitic incidents in the U.S. increased by 316 percent compared to the same time period last year. At the same time, Americans are growing increasingly concerned about antisemitism, with more than 70 percent agreeing in a new survey that Jew-hatred is a serious problem.
Sources told the CVE Reporter that both Village security as well as the Broward Sheriff’s Office had increased security for the rally. One of the speakers at the event was BSO Captain Adam Hofstein. Captain Hofstein is the commanding officer for the BSO in Deerfield Beach. He is also Jewish, as he shared with the crowd at the rally. Hofstein urged everyone to remain vigilant and to report anything suspicious to authorities.
No security-related incidents were reported at the rally.