More than 1,000 people recently attended Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s The Main Event.
At the recent annual event in Miami, the Federation honored U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Miami) with its 2018 Friend of Israel Humanitarian Award. The event also included a keynote address by Lt.-Gen. (Res.) Benny Gantz, former chief of the general staff of the Israel Defense Forces , and a celebration of Israel’s 70th anniversary.
Ros-Lehtinen, who is retiring after 29 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, said in an interview that she was honored and humbled to receive this award, which she called a “wonderful, unexpected tribute.”
“It’s above and beyond anything that I could have expected,” she said. “I’ m so thankful for the Federation for everything that it has done, is doing and will continue to do for our community.”
Ros-Lehtinen told the crowd in a well-received acceptance speech, “The Greater Miami Jewish Federation has been so very near and so very dear to me over the years.”
“So many of my congressional accomplishments are directly attributable to the great work that the Federation has done and to your drive and to your passion for the work that you do for our beloved South Florida community, for the Jewish community and for our dear Holocaust survivors,” she remarked.
Ros-Lehtinen also thanked the Federation’s leadership, board members and its supporters during her presentation.
Jacob Solomon, the Federation’s president and chief executive officer, remarked before presenting Ros-Lehtinen with the award to applause, “Ileana understands that there can never be a moment when party politics takes precedence over the imperative of maintaining bipartisan support for the State of Israel.”
Amy Dean, the Federation’s board chair, praising Ros-Lehtinen in an interview, said, “She is a wonderful, thoughtful, kind, generous spirited woman.”
“She just wants to do the right thing, and anyone who wants to do the right thing is a treasure.”
Dean said regarding The Main Event, the Federation’s largest community-wide event of the year, “I think what’s really important about this event is that it show the strength of our community and our cohesiveness.”
“If you walk around, you can see how different we all are, and it’s great.”
Steve Foldes, who chaired the event with his wife Nadine Foldes, said, “The significance of this evening is that we bring together more than 1,000 Jews from the community to celebrate the good and important things that the Federation does. It’s a major celebration of who we are and it’s wonderful.”
During his keynote presentation, Gantz shared thoughts on security challenges that Israel and the world is facing today and in the future, including radical Islamic groups that pose global and local threats such as Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIS.
Gantz remarked, as he closed his speech, “There is no doubt that when speaking of Israel’s allies, you are an ally, and caring for each other has become our tradition. Your support is contributing to Israel’s prosperity and well-being.”
The event took place at the Hilton Miami Downtown.