Shutts & Bowen LLP hosted Jewish educator and Middle East expert Juan Caldés on December 15 for a program exploring antisemitism and interfaith understanding. Caldés, whose Spanish Catholic upbringing and later conversion to Judaism shape his unique perspective, has become a leading international voice on confronting antisemitism and fostering dialogue between Catholic and Jewish communities.
The program is part of Shutts & Bowen’s ongoing commitment to encouraging meaningful interfaith dialogue. The December 15 event marks one of 15 hosted by Shutts in the two years since the October 7 Hamas terrorist massacre in Israel, reflecting the firm’s sustained dedication to providing education to our community regarding this event and its implications worldwide.
“Juan’s story and message resonated deeply with our attorneys, elected officials, law enforcement and other esteemed guests,” said Marc D. Sarnoff, partner at Shutts & Bowen. “Bringing people together to learn from one another is essential to building a stronger, more compassionate community, especially in moments of global tension. Shutts remains committed to creating spaces where those conversations can happen.”
Sarnoff, along with Shutts partner Victoria Mendez and firm General Counsel Jonathan Cohen, have been leading the firm’s interfaith programming and were instrumental in bringing Caldés to speak. Their work continues to support the mission of building bridges across communities.
As a result of these events, Sarnoff, Mendez and Cohen have also established the Catholic Jewish Alliance, an initiative that promotes education about anti-Semitism within the South Florida community.
About Shutts & Bowen LLP
Shutts & Bowen LLP, established in 1910, is a full-service business law firm with approximately 280 lawyers in offices in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Tampa and West Palm Beach. Learn more about Shutts & Bowen at www.shutts.com.