Peace and Prejudice
January 29, 2024 2024-10-23 8:36Peace and Prejudice
Fighting antisemitism with Lt. Aston Bright
On January 27th, Deerfield Beach High School hosted its annual Holocaust Assembly by art teacher Mrs. Sachs. The traditional event served as a day of remembrance to commemorate the heroes and those lost during the tragedy. Together, students learned about stories of solidarity and bravery in the face of war. Guest speaker Lt. Aston Bright echoed the sentiment in his speech for change in his own way.
His motivation for peace began growing up in South Florida, surrounded by many Jewish friends. One of which offered the idea of volunteering for the Jewish Federation of Broward County as a firefighter around 2014. In 2015, Bright applied for the Emergency Volunteers Project, a nonprofit organization based in Jerusalem that trains and deploys firefighters to Israel during times of war against natural disasters.
The organization was founded by Israeli emergency medical first responders who train American firefighters to aid their country. Bright joined as an existing member of the Plantation Fire Department, which recruits volunteer firefighters. Since then, the Lt. has been deployed three times, including Jerusalem in 2017, 2018 in the South along the Gaza Border, and in 2023 after the Israel-Hamas war started.
During the tension between Israel and Hamas, Bright expresses his caution about what hatred stirs. As an integral figure in fighting war, Lt. Bright faces several challenges. Working on the frontlines has many differences compared to America, putting his life at risk for every fire he puts out.
“The biggest challenge was being in a country where the firefighters have to carry guns. Now, we are fighting the fire while looking over our shoulders. It can be very dangerous,” Lt. Aston Bright said.
Some of his accomplishments as a humanitarian for the Middle East include numerous speeches across the world as an advocate for peace, such as the European Union Parliament in 2023 during Holocaust Remembrance Day. His contributions expand beyond U.S. broadcasting, preaching solidarity on Israeli media as well. Throughout these events, Bright has hailed the words of Martin Luther King in his favorite quote, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ The sentiment is reflected across all his actions, which brought him to DBHS.
“Even one person can make a difference in the fight against antisemitism,” says Art Teacher Mrs. Sachs.
The same quote drove Bright to offer his words to the students of Deerfield Beach High. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, he emphasized the significance of inspiring change to the diverse crowd. Despite his work in Israel, he also empowers the civilians of Palestine during the tragedy they currently face.
“One of the most important things is that being pro-Israel does not mean you are anti-Palestinian. I have fought fires in the Arab Israeli neighborhoods where there are Palestinians, and I am an advocate for them too,” Bright said.
Lt. Aston Bright is a trailblazer in volunteerism. As he returns to Israel in February, Bright proves that prejudice and malice can cause as much damage as the fires he fights. But in the same respect, the passion for peace can burn as bright in the effort to extinguish it.
