Federal Judge Roy K. Altman Urges Local Leaders to Confront Antisemitism in City Hall Address

U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman told the Aventura City Commission on a June meeting night that leaders and institutions must confront rising antisemitism and correct what he called dangerous false narratives.

Altman recounted visits he leads for federal judges to Israel and his group's work at Holocaust memorials, saying those firsthand experiences inform his view that recent campus protests, media narratives and public rhetoric have helped normalize “lies” about Israel that can lead to violence. “When you tell a lie long enough, when you tell it loudly enough, when you tell it to enough people and you repeat it over and over again, guess what happens? People start to believe it,” Altman said.

The judge described group visits to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, and said the tours show how antisemitic tropes adapt across eras. He described an example from the Yad Vashem archives and said antisemitism “morphs like COVID.” Altman also described courtroom reviews the judge said his delegations undertake of Israeli military targeting protocols, and he cited casualty-ratio figures he said are used as comparative context for urban warfare.

Mayor Howard Weinberg introduced Altman as “a treasure in our own community” and presented a certificate of special recognition. Weinberg said Altman, who was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in 2019, has been speaking nationwide to correct false narratives and has led multiple judicial delegations to Israel since October 2023. The mayor read a certificate recognizing Altman’s public stance against antisemitism and presented it to him on behalf of the City of Aventura.

Altman combined personal anecdotes with descriptions of site visits to memorials and conflict zones, and he closed by describing a moment on a recent delegation where judges joined Israeli civilians to sing Hatikvah. “And you know what we sang? We sang Hatikvah, the Jewish national anthem,” Altman said.

The commission did not take formal action related to Altman’s remarks; the visit was a ceremonial presentation and public address. The mayor and commissioners applauded the talk and presented the certificate of recognition. No staff directions or policy changes were proposed or voted on during the presentation.

The speech preceded the meeting’s other business, including planning items and staff presentations. The commission moved on to its Local Planning Agency matters and later returned to consider zoning, ordinances and budget items.