Community members and civil rights activists gathered in Surfside, Florida, on Monday for a rally organized by the EndJewHatred movement to demand accountability following a physical attack on a visiting Jewish couple.
The rally was organized in response to an incident that occurred on August 16 at 95th Street and Harding Avenue in Surfside, according to local television stations citing a police arrest affidavit. A Jewish couple visiting from New York was approached by 35-year-old Jorden Stephen Perozo of Miami Beach while he was riding an electric scooter, with police and local reports stating that he began cursing at the couple and the Jewish community.
In a video recorded by the victim's wife, Perozo punches the victim in the head and tells him, "Now you’re going to die. Walk away before I kill you." He also called the couple "evil demons" and yelled about Israel and Palestine.
Following the attack, police tracking located Perozo at his workplace, a local Flanigan's restaurant on Harding Avenue, where he was taken into custody. According to law enforcement documentation, court filings indicate that Perozo faced formal allegations of committing a battery tainted by prejudice as well as intimidating or harassing an individual on account of their religious or ethnic background. Management at Flanigan's subsequently terminated his employment in the wake of the arrest.
The rally was initially scheduled to take place at 95th Street, the scene of the attack, but was moved to Surfside Town Hall on Monday to accommodate the expected attendees. Approximately 100 people showed up to the demonstration.
'We will not hide! We will not be intimidated'
EndJewHatred founder Brooke Goldstein also spoke at the event, addressing the crowd, she stated, "We are gathered here today for one simple reason: when a Jew is attacked for being a Jew, the Jewish community and our allies will show up. We will not hide! We will not be intimidated."
During the rally, Goldstein told CBS News Miami, "We want to show the police how grateful we are for their swift action, and we also want to show the community that we are not afraid to show up and reclaim this space."
Surfside Mayor Shlomo Danzinger spoke at the rally, addressing the crowd through a megaphone. He stated, "We always agree that there's no place for hate, not in this district, not in this city, not in this state, not in this great nation."
Discussing the suspect's background, Danzinger stated, "The individual that was apprehended has been cycled through our programs, through our system, and he ends up back on the street. That's something that at the state level we need to look into. We need to look into local ordinances that are conflicting with state law. We need to understand why prosecution doesn't have the tools or why, if they have the tools, they're not doing the job that they're supposed to be doing."
Emphasizing local tax contributions and demanding legal consequences, Danzinger declared, "You all are paying to resolve these problems through your taxes. We are the largest tax donor district in the nation! There is no excuse. The money is there. The accountability should follow it!"
US Representative Jared Moskowitz, representing Florida's 23rd congressional district, also spoke at the rally and emphasized the urgent need to push past political divisions to tackle the rising tide of antisemitism and weaponization against Jewish people seen online and in society. Drawing on his own family background, Moskowitz shared, "My grandmother survived the Kindertransport. I had a family business burned down in Montreal."
Warning that complacency serves only to let hatred spread unchecked, he urged unwavering solidarity, stating, "We don't get second chances. We have to fight this everywhere, every single time it rears its head, and we have to do it together."
State Representative Fabian Basabe addressed the gathering to stress that the local community stands completely united across party lines against prejudice. Highlighting concerns over accountability within the legal system following recent local incidents, he called for a critical review of state legislation and local ordinances to ensure that law enforcement and prosecutors have the proper tools to protect residents and hold offenders accountable.
Mayor Howard Weinberg of Aventura underscored that his commitment to fighting prejudice is deeply personal, noting that Aventura rejects hate. As a member of the National Mayors' Antisemitism Advisory Board, he detailed his ongoing efforts leading delegations of non-Jewish mayors on missions to Israel. Highlighting the impact of this outreach, Weinberg stated, "Educating non-Jewish mayors and leaders from across the US, Europe, and Africa with the truth ensures they return home equipped to help stamp out antisemitism."
He added that civic leaders must call out hatred immediately from its very earliest signs.
Mayor Joy Cooper of Hallandale Beach cautioned that communities cannot afford to wait until a physical assault occurs before speaking out against bigotry. Highlighting a minor localized incident involving vandalism in her own city, Cooper stated, "Even small indications of antisemitism must be immediately addressed and called out," adding that South Florida must send a unified message leaving zero room for hate.
Mayor Isaac Salver of Bay Harbor Islands echoed the sentiments of his fellow municipal leaders, emphasizing that regional collaboration across Surfside, Bal Harbor, and Bay Harbor Islands proves that the local community is entirely unified in standing up against all forms of hate.
In a statement to The Jerusalem Post, Goldstein said: “An arrest is only the beginning of accountability. We know all too well that arrests alone are not enough. We are calling on the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office to prosecute this case vigorously, pursue every applicable charge and hate crime enhancement, and seek meaningful consequences for a conviction."
Goldstein further stated, "Hate crimes don’t just target the individuals who were attacked. They target - and impact - an entire community. They impact every single one of us. When a Jew is punched for being Jewish, every Jew receives the same message: you are not safe here. You should be afraid. You should hide. Our rally yesterday is our answer. We are here, proud, visible, and standing together. We will keep the pressure on to ensure that hate-motivated violence is met with meaningful consequences. We will demand accountability. And we will not surrender our streets, or our cities, to Jew-hatred.”