Show Up or Shut Up

On solidarity, silence, and the importance of showing up.

In moments of celebration, communities reveal their values. In moments of crisis, they reveal their courage.

As Jewish families gathered to celebrate Hanukkah at The Coral Gables Menorah Lighting at City Hall this past Tuesday—the Festival of Lights— I appreciated all from the City Beautiful who stood shoulder to shoulder with us in unity, reflection, and resolve. Hanukkah is a time that honors perseverance, faith, and the right to exist openly and safely as Jews. Those values do not belong to one community alone; they belong to all who believe in dignity, freedom, and justice.

What transpired in Sydney, Australia where Jews were targeted, pursued, threatened and murdered because of their identity, has shaken communities around the world and right here in South Florida. When Jews are hunted, intimidated, or made to feel unsafe for simply being Jewish, it cannot be dismissed as isolated unrest or political disagreement. Such actions echo a long and painful history and must be recognized for what they are: antisemitic in nature and dangerous to the fabric of any pluralistic society.

Public figures have a responsibility in times like these—not only to condemn hatred clearly and unequivocally, but to show up! Standing visibly with Jewish communities during Hanukkah is not merely symbolic; it is a declaration that antisemitism has no place in our neighborhoods, our cities, or our world. Silence, ambiguity, or minimization only emboldens those who seek to divide and dehumanize.

For the 3rd year in a row, both Commissioners Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez did not attend The City of Coral Gables Menorah Lighting at City Hall. This raises an important and uncomfortable question: why would public figures choose not to attend, not to stand alongside Jewish communities, or not to speak clearly at a moment like this? When silence or absence occurs in the face of targeted violence and fear, it invites reflection. Is that silence rooted in political calculation, indifference, or fear of controversy—and at what point does such silence risk enabling and normalizing antisemitism?

Too often, we hear resolute and principled words delivered from the commission dais—statements affirming tolerance, condemning hate, and pledging solidarity. Yet words spoken from behind a microphone must be matched by actions taken in the community. When public figures speak forcefully from the commission dais but fail to appear, engage, or stand with Jewish residents in real moments of vulnerability and celebration, the disconnect is impossible to ignore and should be questioned. Leadership is measured not by statements entered into the record, but by presence, consistency, and moral clarity beyond the chamber walls.

Here in South Florida, we choose light over darkness. We choose solidarity over indifference. We affirm that the safety and dignity of Jewish communities are inseparable from the safety and dignity of all communities.

May this Hanukkah remind us that light grows stronger when we stand together—and that the defense of one community’s humanity is the defense of us all.

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Jeffrey Wolfe is a Coral Gables business owner and proprietor of Wolfe's Wine Shoppe on Miracle Mile.