TALLAHASSEE—Florida became only the second state in the union to unveil a Holocaust memorial. Governor Ron DeSantis, along with First Lady Casey DeSantis hosted a ceremony of the unveiling of the monument at the Capitol Complex’s “Memorial Park.”
During his remarks, Gov. DeSantis reminded attendees that the state of Florida sent “$20 million funding to bolster security and Jewish Day Schools” around the states’”
DeSantis also expressed his disgust with the October 7 terrorist attack against Israelis at the hands of Hamas terrorists, warning teachers that they would lose their jobs if they tried to “minimize” or deny the Holocaust.
“You have a right to free speech, but a teacher that is in front of students trying to minimize the Holocaust, they get a pink slip and they are no longer going to be teaching,” said Gov. DeSantis. “The problem is Hamas terrorists, and the solution is to eliminate Hamas terrorists. Hamas, if they had the capability, they would commence a second Holocaust. That is their goal.
Former State Sen. Eleanor Sobel (R) addressed the crowd thanking the original bill sponsors, including Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D) before praising State Senator Randy Fine for his efforts to combat anti-semitism, referring to him as “The Bulldog.”
DeSantis ended the event by awarding a World War II Holocaust survivor with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.
In attendance were Israel Consulate General Maor Elbaz-Starinsky , Rep. Meg Weinberger, Senator Tina Polsky, and other members of the Jewish Caucus in the Florida Legislature.
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?️ WATCH: Holocaust survivor receives Medal of Freedom from @GovRonDeSantis in Tallahassee today.
Powerful moment. ?? pic.twitter.com/FSRyjBEVEb
— Javier Manjarres (@JavManjarres) March 25, 2025
