I left [the Friday, Oct. 2] meeting about the future of Palm Beach County’s Agricultural Reserve less concerned about the arguments being made inside the Civic Center than about what I saw taking place outside it.
Let me be clear: reasonable people can have legitimate concerns about the future of the Ag Reserve. Questions about development, traffic, infrastructure, agriculture, environmental impacts, land use and the character of western Boca Raton and Delray Beach deserve serious public discussion.
I am not writing to revisit the propriety of prior votes by the Board of County Commissioners, or to take a position on particular development applications. There are already plenty of voices doing that.
Beach County meeting
I am writing because something happened outside the meeting that should concern every resident, regardless of where he or she stands on development.
An individual with a well-documented history of antisemitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric, white-supremacist advocacy and promotion of far-right Christian nationalism held his own mini-rally and what amounted to an impromptu press conference.
What disturbed me most was watching people from different religious, ethnic and political backgrounds cheer him on. Perhaps some did not know his history, but some certainly did.
Either way, we should pause and consider what that means.
There are residents who have genuine concerns about a proposed Islamic Center in the Agricultural Reserve. Those concerns can and should be discussed through the same civic and governmental processes that apply to every other proposed development.
Residents have every right to ask questions about traffic, infrastructure, environmental impacts, land use, security and compatibility with surrounding properties. Those are legitimate questions. They should be answered with facts, transparency and appropriate governmental review and scrutiny.
Legitimate concerns about a development proposal should lead to questions, scrutiny and public debate, not to embracing the rhetoric or agenda of someone who promotes white supremacy.
As an Orthodox Jew, I feel particularly strongly about this distinction.
Freedom of worship is a foundational American principle. That principle does not mean that a religious institution, or any other institution for that matter, is exempt from zoning requirements, safety standards, environmental rules or legitimate public scrutiny.
If someone believes a particular project is inconsistent with the purpose of the Agricultural Reserve, make that argument. If someone believes the county’s land-use policies should change, make that case. If someone believes greater scrutiny is warranted, demand it.
But if the response is to embrace someone whose public record includes hatred toward Jews and Muslims and advocacy rooted in white supremacy, we have crossed a very different line.
There is nothing contradictory about being concerned about a proposed Islamic center while supporting the right of every religious community to worship freely.
There is nothing contradictory about demanding greater governmental scrutiny while rejecting bigotry.
In fact, that is what responsible citizenship requires.
We should be able to say: I have serious questions about this development, and I want those questions answered, but I reject the rants of someone who traffics in racial and religious hatred.
When legitimate civic concerns become intertwined with racial or religious hostility, and when those concerns lead people to give a platform to an antisemite, reasonable discussion reaches an impasse.
We should not allow extremists to turn legitimate debates into vehicles for hatred.
Palm Beach County is a diverse community. We are neighbors before we are political factions, religious constituencies or competing interest groups.
A good neighbor is transparent about legitimate concerns.
And a good neighbor unequivocally rejects extremism, prejudice and hatred, regardless of where they come from.
That standard must apply equally.
Security concerns should be taken seriously. Religious and community institutions should maintain appropriate coordination with law enforcement and qualified security professionals. Governmental and institutional oversight should remain strong and active, much of it appropriately occurring behind the scenes.
Community safety is not achieved by fanning fear or intolerance. It is achieved by building systems of trust, accountability and cooperation.
The debate over the Agricultural Reserve will continue, as it should.
People should attend meetings, ask difficult questions, demand transparency and hold elected officials accountable. That is how local government is supposed to work.
But there should also be a line that none of us crosses. Chanting for, applauding and giving a platform to a white supremacist crosses that line.
Strong communities are built on transparency, mutual respect and an unyielding commitment to the safety of every neighbor.
As an Orthodox Jew, I know what it means to live as part of a religious minority. I also know that the security and freedom of my community depends in part upon the security and freedom of our neighbors.
That is why I will continue to support vigorous civic debate, and an equally vigorous rejection of racism, antisemitism and religious hatred.
We can ask hard questions about the future of the Agricultural Reserve. We can question decisions, demand accountability and insist on transparency. But we should never allow legitimate disagreements to lead us down the path of following those who seek to divide our community through hatred.
We can disagree passionately about the future of our community. We can question decisions, demand accountability and insist on transparency. But we should never allow those disagreements to lead us down the path of following a radical racist.
Daniel A. Kaskel, Esq. is a partner in the Boca Raton law firm Sachs Sax Caplan Kaskel & Schner, PLLC. He is also the Immediate Past President of the Boca Raton Synagogue. One of his law partners is the husband of Palm Beach County Commissioner Maria Sachs. This is written solely in his individual capacity and not on behalf of Commissioner Sachs, Palm Beach County or his law firm.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: I went to the Islamic Center meeting. This is the blind hatred I saw
