Greetings!

Thank you for continuing to follow the CDC guidelines to keep yourself and our community safe and healthy. As we have for the last 6 months, our City continues to monitor the situation and we are in constant communication with county, state and federal agencies. We have all felt the affects of the prolonged pandemic and will continue to do so for even longer.

As someone raised in the Jewish faith, I have spent the time of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipper to take stock and evaluate the past year and get ready for the coming one. I don't normally do this but here is the statement I read at our last Commission meeting, which sums up my thoughts:

This has been a very difficult year by any measure. When you look at the lives lost to COVID-1 and the impact this pandemic continues to have on our daily lives and our economy: When you factor in the growing unrest across our country because of the actions of rogue police officers and bad police policies: Taking a look at the amount of activity in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans this hurricane season and the wildfires raging in California, Oregon and Washington it would appear that Mother Nature is pissed and not playing around anymore: and finally, when you count the loss of civil rights and women’s rights icons like Reverend C.T. Vivian, Congressman John Lewis and most recently Federal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg our country has been dealt with much in 2020.

How we as a people choose to handle this crisis’s will tell a lot about how the direction our country will take going forward. I read an article this morning entitled “The Forgotten Meaning of ‘We the People,’ taking into account that slaves and women were not included in that phrase at the time, and in that article it talks about our democracy being on trial at all levels of government and I agree. I also believe that the state of our humanity is on trial and here is why:
  • I remember when I could disagree with someone’s point of view without having to demonize that person or denigrate them because we disagree. Politics has created the need to be right above all else.
  • I remember a time when people took care of their neighbors without looking at what’s in it for me.
  • I remember when elected officials chose to act with integrity and honesty in all their dealings and served because they believed in service above self instead of for their own benefit.
This article is a call to action for elected officials and citizens alike to ensure that we continue to use our voices and our votes. We must ensure that voting rights are for all people, not just those who have paid their fees and fines. We must stand up for our constitutional right to peaceful assembly. And finally, we must take better care of each other in our daily lives. None of us is going through this alone. Together we can and will get through this year!

For those who will be fasting for Yom Kippur, may your fast be an easy one and may you be sealed in the Book of Life.

September bring suicide prevention into focus, however we must all be aware and delve deeper especially during the current crisis. With so many people still isolating and many of us missing the interaction with others that was such a part of our lives before the pandemic, it is more important than ever to follow up with our friends and family. he common greeting of "How are you," has taken on much more meaning and shouldn't be considered jus a courtesy. Here are some facts you should know from the CDC:

  • Every 12.3 minutes another life is lost to suicide.
  • Every 30 seconds someone attempts suicide.
  • 12 teens die by suicide in the United States each day.
  • 44,963 Americans died of suicide in 2018
  • Every day more than 122 Americans take their own life
  • Between 1952 and 1995, the incidence of suicide among adolescents and young adults nearly tripled.
  • Over half of all suicides occur in adult men, age 25 to 65.
  • Males are four times more likely to die from suicide than are females.
  • More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease combined
  • Approximately 20 Veterans die of suicide each day! (According to the information found on the Mental Health VA website)

Feeling lonely or isolated? Make sure to check yourself with the self evaluation from the Florida Initiative on Suicide Prevention. There is additional information regrading suicide prevention on their website.
With Tamarac becoming more and more diverse we need to acknowledge and celebrate what makes each of us so special! September 15th through October 15 we celebrate National Hispanic American Heritage Month! Month traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries. Growing up in Miami, I was immersed in many of the different Hispanic and Latin cultures at an early age.

Still can't speak Spanish but I sure do love the flavors from all the different countries!

As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.


Stay well and stay safe.

Julie

Commissioner Julie Fishman, District 3
954-461-1311
This email is being sent by Commissioner Julie Fishman with personal funds and not paid with public funds. Please be advised that any response to this email will be sent to her City of Tamarac email and as such will be captured by the City's public server and shall be subject to public records disclosure under Ch. 119, Florida Statute.