Building Alliances
Orlando Friends of Israel is a collective of Central Florida families that lobbies and supports local politicians who are pro-Israel
For more than a decade, Marc Smith and Gene Josephs have been on a mission to support Israel by garnering key support in the political arena.
Gene and Marc are the founders of Orlando Friends of Israel, a bipartisan group that regularly lobbies and financially supports members of Congress who sponsor, cosponsor, or vote for pro-Israel legislation.
Gene has lived in the Orlando area with his wife Miriam since 1978. He retired as a senior manager for IBM after 31 years with the company. Now, Gene is the CEO and owner of an offshore software development company, primarily working with worldwide corporations.
Marc moved to Central Florida in 1989 after earning a master’s degree in construction management at the University of Florida. He married his wife Laurie in 1992 and is now president of a company that develops and manages self-storage locations in the area.
Strength in Numbers
Gene and Marc started Orlando Friends of Israel in 2012, with Gene as chairman and Marc becoming cochair a few years later. Miriam and Laurie were also original members of the group.
“By being a participant in our local group, we are able to leverage our bipartisan relationships with U.S. government elected officials, who approve up to $4 billion per year for Israel security assistance,” says Gene. “The value and security received by Israel from Congress far surpasses what we can do as individuals, plus the personal long-term relationships we establish locally are critical.”
Gene came up with the idea for Orlando Friends of Israel after participating in a trip to Israel in 2010, sponsored by the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee). The pro-Israel lobbying group advocates its policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States and served as a template for Gene.
“The value and security received by Israel from Congress far surpasses what we can do as individuals, plus the personal long-term relationships we establish locally are critical.” – Gene Josephs
“I had the opportunity to meet independent political chairs from comparable-size cities such as Seattle and Las Vegas,” he says. “They consistently related the successes their groups had working directly with local congressional representatives and senators to support pro-Israel legislation. I was moved and encouraged by their enthusiasm and successes and committed to form such an organization for Central Florida.”
A Common Goal
After networking with friends and exploring community relationships, Gene and Marc partnered with about 40 like-minded families, including eight non-Jewish families, who fully supported Israel.
Initially, Orlando Friends of Israel worked with former Congressmen Alan Grayson (D) and John Mica (R), as well as Congressman Daniel Webster (R) – all allies of Israel. Additionally, the group established close ties to former Congresswomen Val Demings (D) and Stephanie Murphy (D), both supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship. The group also works with Senator Roger Wicker (R) of Mississippi, who has a critical leadership role as majority chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services.
Most recently, the group met with Representatives Webster and Darren Soto (D) and plans to meet with Representative Cory Mills (R).
“All three congressmen are highly and consistently supportive of Israel and regularly meet with our group for discussion and Q and As,” says Gene. “Our members love the personal one-on-one interaction. We also always invite UCF Hillel student leaders to each meeting where they are encouraged to ask questions. We are also always interested in having local rabbis discuss our objectives and help increase the participants in our group since we do not advertise.”
Marc is proud of the impact the group has made over the years.
“We know that our group works,” he says, “as we’ve educated some local politicians who had minimal knowledge about the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship and now are consistent and dependable advocates.”
To learn more about Orlando Friends of Israel, contact Gene Josephs at gjosephs@gs-s.com or 407-619-8547 or Marc Smith at ms@personalministorage.com.