“It is a place we can go to see not just fine art, but to present the complexities of life and allow us to be more reflective and to grow,” said Ruth Mayer, a Miami Beach resident, who came to the meeting with her Israeli-born husband, Akiva Gross. “It doesn’t mean you have to walk out and agree, but hopefully we can walk out and be reflective.”
Mr. Gross said the film “has to be shown — this is democracy.”
Two mayors of neighboring cities — Esteban L. Bovo Jr., of Hialeah, and Francis Suarez, of Miami — called into the meeting to express support for Mr. Meiner. And Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, the consul general of Israel in Miami, told the crowd that while he was “totally against censorship of art,” he believed that “it does not take away the responsibility that these institutions have to show the full picture.”
“When it’s being shown on taxpayer-subsidized government venues with public funds, that’s not free speech, it’s government policy,” said Commissioner David Suarez. He added, “play the film wherever you want, on private property, in front of City Hall, on the street corner, but do not ask the taxpayers of Miami Beach to foot the bill for odious propaganda films.”
Supporters of the theater also noted that its programming reflected the demographics of Miami Beach, which has a significant number of Jewish residents, many of whom have strong ties to Israel. The theater has a longstanding partnership with the Miami Jewish Film Festival and shows regular films about the Holocaust, they said.
Mr. Meiner, who took office a month after the Oct. 7 attack, has repeatedly taken hard-line stances in defense of Israel. Among other things, he pushed through new restrictions on protests after several pro-Palestinian rallies took place in Miami Beach.
