White Rose Society honors Ron DeSantis for standing with Jewish community

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accepted a crystal rose on Wednesday, a simple gesture carrying an unmistakable message: public gratitude for standing with the Jewish community at a moment when many Jews feel more exposed and alone than they have in years.

DeSantis received the White Rose Award from The White Rose Society. This organization spotlights non-Jewish allies “who stand with the Jewish people,” ranging from elected officials and public figures to local community members whose support often manifests in quieter ways.

“Our honorees are selected for their courage, moral leadership, and unwavering support of the Jewish people,” said founder Linda Selig. “After Oct. 7, many in the Jewish community felt the weight of silence. Gov. DeSantis has used the tools of his office to confront antisemitism and to signal clearly that Jewish life matters.”

The White Rose Society was founded after the 2023 Hamas attacks to recognize allies beyond the Jewish community who refused to look away.

The Society’s name reaches back to wartime Germany – inspired by the Weiße Rose (White Rose), a resistance effort formed by university students in Munich in 1942 who distributed leaflets urging Germans to reject Nazi crimes. The Society presents that history as a modern reminder that silence is a choice and that ordinary people can decide to push back against prejudice.

DeSantis accepted the honor with humility, sharing details about how he deployed resources to rescue Florida students and travelers stranded in Israel both after October 7, 2023, and during the Israel-Iran War in 2025.

“My view is that if you can help, you gotta step up and do it,” DeSantis said to a group of lay leaders and professional staff from Jewish communities across Florida, including some who had been rescued from Israel by the DeSantis administration, as well as representatives from regional Jewish Federations, the American Jewish Committee, Hillel leaders, synagogue representatives, and other statewide Jewish organizations.

Indeed, the DeSantis administration has a lengthy record of standing up for Jewish residents. Early in his first year as governor, DeSantis signed legislation aimed at combating antisemitism in Florida’s public education system, with the Governor’s Office describing it as requiring K–20 public education to treat antisemitism in the same manner it treats racism.

In 2023, during a trip to Israel, DeSantis signed additional legislation his office said was intended to ensure that perpetrators who commit acts of antisemitism and target religious groups would be punished, including provisions addressing harassment or intimidation tied to religious or ethnic identity.

After Oct. 7, DeSantis also directed Florida’s public university and college systems to waive certain transfer requirements for Jewish students who claim a well-founded fear of antisemitic persecution at their current institutions, an initiative his office presented as a way to reduce barriers for academically eligible students seeking to relocate.

In 2024, his office highlighted additional campus-related safety messaging and funding, including a specific allocation intended to protect Jewish day schools. That same year, DeSantis signed HB 187, which established a definition of antisemitism in Florida law, and HB 1109, which addressed security for Jewish day schools and preschools.

And in 2025, DeSantis signed funding to create the nation’s first research-backed program to combat antisemitism on three Florida college campuses, an effort that lawmakers are seeking to expand statewide this year.

DeSantis now joins a growing roster of White Rose Society recipients that includes political leaders, media figures, and entertainers. The Society’s directory lists names such as Gov. Brian Kemp, Nikki Haley, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rep. Ritchie Torres, Mike Huckabee, Patricia Heaton, Van Jones, and Elise Stefanik, among its 180 recipients across 22 states and 11 countries.

For the Society, the throughline is the same whether a recipient is a political leader or a neighbor: a visible show of friendship, offered as both comfort and encouragement, and as a reminder that the people targeted by hate are not facing it alone.

“Our hope is to cultivate a strong, connected community of White Rose recipients, an ‘army’ of passionate advocates and allies who are steadfast in their support of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and who stand on the front lines in the fight against antisemitism,” said White Rose Society Executive Director Julie Rau. “We are honored that Gov. DeSantis is proud to be among them.”