Meet and Greet the candidates running for the Broward county School Board on July 27th, 2024
This widely successful and well attended event was hosted at the Hampton Inn in Weston, FL. It was attended by community leaders, high school and middle school students with a rich exchange of ideas and inquiries followed by robust discussions on improving the standard of education for all of Broward county schools.
HAPAC of FL is proud to endorse these candidates for the upcoming election on August 20, 2024. We look forward to their success and to work with them collaboratively.
Debbie Hixon - Countywide at large Seat 9
Sarah Leonardi - District 3
Dr.Jeff Holness - District 5
Maura McCarthy - District 1
Rebecca Thompson - District 2
HAPAC of Florida endorsed candidates for the November 2024 Election Cycle
Miami Dade County
Daniella Cava -Mayoral Candidate
Florida State
Chad Klitzman - State Senator
Robin Barrleman - State Representative
Felecia Robinson - State Representative
Broward County School Board
Debra Hixon - District at Large
Maura Bulman - District 1
Rebecca Thompson - District 2
Sarah Leonardi - District 3
Jeff Holness - District 5
City Elections
Mike Ryan - Mayor, city of Sunrise
Louis Reinstein - Plantation City Council Member
Successful Event Held with Broward County Political Candidates on June 29,2024 at Comfort Inn in Fort Lauderdale
HAPAC of FL and the wider Hindu community held a highly successful meet and greet event with a few of the candidates running for office this fall. These members included State Rep Robin Barrleman-D who is running to retain her state house district 103 seat, State Rep Felicia Robinson who already secured her state house district 104 seat, Mayor Mike Ryan from the city of Sunrise who is running to retain his mayorship, Louis Reinstein, council member grp 5 from City of Plantation.
This event made it possible to present Hindu history and Hindu concerns to our political leaders. We also had a robust Q&A session with audience participation.
HAPAC of Florida held a successful community Lunch and Learn event on June 8, 2024 at Palace Indian Restaurant in Davie,FL
As part of our outreach to the wider Hindu community of south Florida, to educate and create awareness, and bring about more ground level participation, HAPAC of FL hosted a Lunch and Learn event in Davie, Florida. This successful event was attended by nearly 60 members from our local Hindu Community. The PAC has the opportunity to present a talk about the issues and concerns of the Hindu community locally and nationally. The accomplishments of the PAC were also widely shared with the attendees. A review of the 2024 election cycle and participation of the PAC in this election cycle were also discussed.
These type of community events are going to be hosted regularly by the PAC to seek support, educate the public, create awareness and participation, encourage voter registration and bring out the vote on Election Day this fall.
Here is a YouTube link to the talk presented.
A wide overview of Hindu history, philosophy and its relevance to modern political discourse was presented.
SFHT (South Florida Hindu Temple), NetHP (Network of Hindu Professionals and HAPAC of FL (Hindu American Political Action Committee) welcome Broward County School Board members to campaign for Diwali Holiday for Broward County.
There is an active campaign going on all over the country to make Diwali a nationally recognized holiday. Broward county is certainly in the mix. On June 16th 2023, the south florida Hindu community led by SFHT (South Florida Hindu Temple), NetHP (Network of Hindu Professionals) and HAPAC of Florida (Hindu American Political Action Committee of Florida welcomed several Broward County School Board members and the Diversity and Equity department members to SFHT for an evening of dialogue, participation and presentation to our Hindu community in south florida about the activity, process and progress on the efforts to make Diwali a school holiday. This is something very special to our Hindu community to share and celebrate this auspicious day with family, friends and community in prayers, service and celebrations. We hope to make this a reality in the near future.
HAPAC of FL visits Capitol Hill on June 14th
Members of HAPAC of FL visit Washington DC on June 14th to join A4H (Americans for Hindus) to create a congressional caucus with members of the House. Ram Tewari and Shashi Kusuma joined nearly 20 other organizations from around the country to a charged up group to create action plans to advocate for Hindu related causes. This was attended by many prominent congressmen and congresswomen including Michelle Park Steele from California (R-CA 45th district), Rich McCormick from Georgia (GA-6), Joe Wilson from South Carolina (R-SC 2nd district), Linda Sanchez from California (D-38th district), Sheila Lee Jackson from Texas (18th district - Texas), Shri Thanedar from Michigan (13th district- Michigan) and many others.
It was a successful event where a Hindu Caucus was announced and will build a coalition of leaders to advocate for Hindu causes in our country. This was also joined by the Armenian coalition and Jewish coalition to build on mutually shared vision for a prosperous, inclusive America. We are greatful to have the opportunity to participate in this powerhouse of an event and look forward to building from here to serve America through the values and aspirations of the Hindu community.
The event was represented in collaboration with HAF (Hindu American Foundation), HinduAction, VHPA, HAPAC, and many other organizations. This was led by the founder and president Romesh Japra M.D. from California. He has been a champion to create a Hindu caucus which is now a reality. The founding members of HAF, Mihir Meghani, Aseem Shukla and Rajiv Pandit also participated prominently and made it a successful event.
HAPAC of FL joins NETHP and COHNA in South Florida to raise awareness of activities around the country
Nikhunj Trivedi the founder and president of COHNA (Coalition of Hindus of North America) visited south florida and joined with Fareida Rajkumar, the founder and president of NetHP (Network of Hindu Professionals) and Shekar Reddy of HAPAC of FL (Hindu American Political Action Committee of Florida) and other members of the PAC and citizens of south florida at The Palace Restaurant in Davie, FL on May 27th 2023.
Nikhunj ji spoke eloquently and presented many aspect of the advocacy and grass roots work that COHNA is doing across North America. Fareida Rajkumar spoke about the collaboration with COHNA to campaign here in south florida to make Diwali a school holiday. HAPAC lended support to bring along the political and legislative campaign needed to make this endeavor a successful outcome.
HAPAC of FL is proud to announce the launch of our Miami Chapter
The newly formed HAPAC of FL founded in the summer of 2022 is expanding quickly. We are happy to announce the formation of our Miami-Dade chapter.
This chapter is led by Dr. Subbarayan R Pochi who is a dedicated leader and verteran in Miami-Dade community. He has organized the group and will include Dr.Chander Shayker, Mrs. Meghhaa Kumaarr, Ms.Vijaya Tripathi, Mr. Arvind Sinha and Mr. Apu Desai.
Shekar Reddy, the Chair of the HAPAC of FL has been working hard along with the officers to build a state wide coalition.
“The plan is to build 5 regional chapters in florida to cover the entire state he said. The goal is ambitious to finally consolidate the collective voice and resources of the Hindu Diaspora in Florida and across the country to have a voice in the political process and the policies that affect everyone. There is a lot to contribute to our adopted Karma Bhoomi (the land of we adopted) and make it a vibrant healthy, happy and a peaceful and prosperous community and country. “
HAPAC of FL. endorses the following candidates during the upcoming Nov 8th elections:
After careful vetting and internal analysis and a lively discussion, HAPAC of Fl has decided to endorse and support the following candidates in the upcoming elections. We encourage hindu americans and all community members to look at these candidates to bring about positive changes into our communities.
School Board:
Jeff Holness - District 5
Brenda Fam - District 6
State Representatives:
Robin Bartelman - District 103
Mayor:
Scott Newman - City of Wilton Manners
City Commissioners:
Kevin Biederman - Hollywood, District 5
Coby King - Oakland Park
City Council:
Louis Reinstein - Plantation
HAPAC of FL is a non-partisan organization that is looking out for the interests of Hindu Americans in the great state of Florida.
Diwali and October come with state wide proclamations and celebrations. More than 15 cities in South Florida granted Proclamations during the month of October.
Lauren Book wins big and is slated to hold her position as the Florida State Senate Minority Leader
The HinduAmericanPAC of FL congratulates Lauren Book on this historic win to retain her seat and also continue as the Florida State Senate Minority Leader. We were very happy and proud to have endorsed her Candicacy and are excited to work with her in her new tenure to improve our South Florida community.
Hindu American Political Action Committee of Florida in collaboration with the South Florida Hindu Temple welcomes you to another great educational event for our South Florida Community. Learn the true history of the glorious Maharanas, stories of "Saka & Jauhar" & the Hindu resistance against Islamic Invaders from Dr. Ratnu
About this event:
Distinguished Author of the book, "MAHARANAS- A THOUSAND YEAR WAR FOR DHARMA", Dr. Omendra Ratnu is on his U.S. Tour 2022. Hindu American Political Action Committee of Florida along with South Florida Hindu Temple welcomes. Dr.Ratnu to Fort Lauderdale on 28th August 2022 @ 11 am.
*****Meet the Author and Book Signing*****
Come, join us to meet and greet Dr. Omendra Ratnu, a Surgeon, an Author, a Captivating Speaker, and a Dharma Yoddha who has brought to us the true history of the forgotten heroes of Bharat, the Maharanas of Mewar! Through his book and his work, Dr. Ratnu has destroyed the lies woven around the glorious Hindu resistance for one thousand uninterrupted years to Islamic invaders of various hues.
The book will be available for purchase at the venue. The author will sign copies.
The event is scheduled to be organized on
Sunday, August 28h between 11am US (EST) and 12:30pm PM (EST)Mahaprasad will follow right after for everyone.
Location:
South Florida Hindu Temple
13010 W. Griffin Rd
Southwest Ranches, FL. 33330
About the Author:
“Securing freedom and self-respect require great sacrifices. The legendary Sisodia family of Mewar provided these as gifts to the Hindu society by sacrificing their wealth, happiness, and lives! It's because of these great men and women of Mewar who directly confronted and stopped the evil Islamic invaders for a thousand years, that the Hindu society survived and still thrives today.", says Dr. Omendra Ratnu.
Dr. Omendra Ratnu is an ENT surgeon by profession with a deep interest in the history of Bharat. He runs Nimittekam, an organization with the sole goal to help persecuted Hindus of Pakistan. Nimittekam has helped (and continues to do so every day) thousands of Pakistani Hindus get out of there and settle in other parts of the world so they can have a chance to live a decent life. Dr. Ratnu's book, "MAHARANAS - A THOUSAND YEAR WAR FOR DHARMA" has been a sensation since its launch. Also called the 'Nava Gita' by many, this book is organized into 18 chapters!
Thousands of people who have shared their stories of reading this book on social media have reported that the book puts them in tears of pride, joy and sadness as they go through those chapters. The book takes the reader through the experience of the Maharanas who fought to protect Bharat and Hindu culture from the Islamic invaders for almost a thousand years without a break and who sacrificed everything to stop the Islamic attack on India.
Home Minister Shri Amit Shah launched the book on June 10th, 2022, and since then Dr. Ratnu has been touring all over India with the goal to make this book available to every part of the country so that our children could get to know the true and glorious history of Bharat.
Now he is in the USA talking about this book and sharing stories of Maharanas in many cities across multiple states and the story behind the writing of his book.
Attached are some links to his talks and activities:
We hope to see you all at this great event. Please visit with your family, children, friends and participate in this conversation.
Sincerely,
Shekar Reddy, Chair, HAPAC of FL
Vinod Patel, Founding member, SFHT
Narendra Maheshwari, President SFHT
Naresh Bhasin, President, Executive Committee SFHT
The City of Davie give a Proclamation for India Independence Day
The mayor Judy Paul and commissioners of the City of Davie celebrated and gave a proclamation for the 75th India Independence day, 75 years Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav at the last city council meeting. This event was attended by several members of the HAPAC of FL and other community members. Rajesh Verma gave a powerful statement of thank you and brought awareness to the status of the HIndu Americans in the United States and the need for collaboration and ongoing engagement between our adopted county of America and our mother land of India.
JULY 10 (SUNDAY), 2022, HAPAC of FL and South Florida Hindu Temple (SFHT) invite Florida state elected officials for an Educational Event
The Hindu American Political Action Committee of FL (HAPAC of FL) and the South Florida Hindu Temple (SFHT) collaborated in a one-of-a-kind event to host a few of our elected state representatives at SFHT on July 10th. This groundbreaking and pioneering partnership between our local mandir and our PAC organized a tour of the mandir, a darshana of our deities, an engaging presentation of our glorious civilization and an opportunity for Q&A. The stated purpose and aim were to educate our elected officials and to solicit a position for advocacy for Hindu American issues in our state polity.
This collaboration is highly important for our Hindu community as we are of the view that our mandirs must not only be a place of worship but also a place for service, education, community outreach, development of local Hindu leadership, youth outreach, preservation of our glorious civilization, propagation of health and wellness and a place of active debate. Historically, our mandirs have been disengaged with such community engagement, however, with the current societal dispensation and activity, our mandirs must elevate our discourse and find firm footing in becoming a place of high activity for our Hindu communities.
Below are the invited representatives and staff. This was a non-partisan community event entirely focused on education.
INVITEES/ATTENDEES (All Democrats and incumbents)
1. Senator - Jason Pizzo – Not represented
2. Delegation Chair State Representative Michael Gottlieb, House District 98 + Staff - Not represented
3. Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book/Staff member, Senate District 92 - Yes
4. State Representative -Daryl Campbell House District 94- Not represented
5. State Representative -Anika Omphroy/Staff member, House District 95 - Yes
6. State Representative -Christine Hunschofsky - House District 96 - Not represented
7. State Representative -Marie Woodson - House District 101 Not represented
8. State Representative -Felicia Robinson - House District 102, Yes
9. State Representative -Robin Bartleman plus staff member – Yes
10. State Representative -Patricia Williams - Yes
11. State Representative - Robin Bartleman plus staff member House District 104 – Yes
Below was the program itinerary.
· Meet and greet the delegates by Dr. Vinod Patel, Founding trustee of SFHT, Shekar Reddy, Chair HAPACF and Bal Vihar students.
· Welcome speeches by Dr. Narendra Maheshwari (President, SFHT GB), and Shekar Reddy
· Presentation by Dr. Shashidhar Kusuma, Secretary HAPACF, on the 12,000+ year history of Bharat’s civilization
· Questions & Answers
· Introduction of deities of Devasthanam by Dr. Chander Shaykher
· Concluding remarks and vote of thanks
· Aarti and Prasad
This event was a success from all accounts and was well received by the invited guests and our Hindu community. We are excited to share that we have been invited to the state capital to give this presentation as an educational event for all the state representatives. We also received invitations to local Jewish synagogues to discuss the history of Swastika and its meaning and symbolism. Many other tangible action items were also generated that we will share with everyone in due time. We were very proud of our Balvihar students who represented our culture, tradition, and religion with pride. We will further engage with our state representative and senators to voice our concerns, raise issues, and collaborate with the political leadership to have a voice and a seat at the table. We also anticipate that many other mandirs across South Florida and the country will adopt this model for engagement.
Below is a link to view the event on our YouTube Channel. We encourage those who could not attend to view this engaging event and provide feedback and become involved with SFHT, and HAPAC of FL. We must all unite and become active to enact changes and impact our communities.
Sincerely
HAPAC of FL and SFHT
https://www.hinduamericanpacofflorida.org/
https://www.instagram.com/hapacflorida/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hapac-of-florida-0a171b23a/
HAPAC of FL hosts forum with Candidates for Broward County School Board, State Representative, and City Commissioner
June 24, 2022
The HAPAC of FL hosted an engaging and educational event with Candidates for Broward County School Board, State Representatives and City Commissioners. It was held in the beautiful board room at the Sheltair Airport in Fort Lauderdale. The event spawned a lot of actionable suggestions that will help the Hindu community participate in an active dialogue in the educational process and programs of Broward County Schools. HAPAC of FL aims to build on such events and make a real impact in our communities.
HAPAC FL and South Florida Hindu Temple collaborate to host Broward County Elected Officials
July 10, 2022
Many State elected officials to attend for a tour of the SFHT temple, attend aarti and have prasad, hear a presentation about Hindu Civilization and participate in a town hall type questions and conversations session with our Hindu community of South Florida. All are welcome to attend.
