Orlando’s civility pledge should inspire us all 

Like Jews worldwide, Orlando philanthropist Alan Ginsburg was deeply shaken by Hamas’s brutal Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 and took hundreds hostage. 

Soon, numerous elite U.S. university campuses erupted, displaying anti-Israel rhetoric sometimes spilling into crude antisemitic tropes. Ginsburg felt civil discussion’s decline into polarized shouting matches was unhealthy in a city of tourism and theme parks. So, he contacted the Rev. Joel Hunter, former pastor of Northland, a 20,000-member suburban megachurch.

In early 2024, Hunter and the Ginsburg Family Foundation invited 150 civic and community leaders to devise a way forward. Their Central Florida Pledge aimed to help build “America’s most welcoming community” and keep “Central Florida a safe community for all who live here and for future generations.” It read as follows:

“I will lead by example—treating all people with dignity and respect, especially those with whom I disagree. 

“I will refrain from inflammatory words and actions, and actively support those being attacked. 

“I will report threatening incidents of hate and violence to 800-423-TIPS (8477).

“I will educate myself about all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, racism, and help others in my circle of influence to do the same.” 

So far, 6,000 people have signed, including about a thousand from area high schools and colleges.

“The pledge........

© The Hill