Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the Chabad Shul of Bal Harbour last week to sign two bills into law that have direct significance to the Jewish community.

The “Moment of Silence Bill” will require public schools to provide two minutes of silence at the beginning of the day for students to pray or meditate. The Lubavitcher Rebbe was a vocal proponent for a moment of silence in schools, and Chabad emissaries in Florida were leaders in the lobbying efforts involved in passing this bill. 

The second bill will allow faith-based ambulance services – including the Jewish emergency service, Hatzalah – to use emergency lights and sirens when responding to a call. Prior to this bill, volunteer ambulances were not recognized as authorized emergency vehicles and were not allowed to use lights and sirens. Since it was founded in 2013, the Hatzalah chapter in Florida has responded to over 13,000 calls, and this bill will increase the scope of its life-saving services.