By COLlive reporter

On Thursday, October 2, one hour before Yom Kippur davening began, U.S. Secret Service agents arrived at the Chabad House in Miami Beach, Florida, accompanied by security dogs to secure the building and its surrounding area.

The Chabad House, directed by Shluchim Rabbi Zev and Chani Katz, was filled to capacity as community members gathered for the holiest Jewish day of the year.

Joining them was Steve Witkoff, advisor to President Donald Trump and the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East and special envoy for Peace Missions.

Witkoff was honored with receiving the third Aliyah to the Torah and was invited to address the crowd before the Yizkor memorial.

In his remarks, Witkoff spoke movingly about his late son, Andrew Witkoff, who passed away at the age of 22. He drew a heartfelt connection to the Katz family’s recent loss of their beloved son, Motti Katz, at just 18 years old.

Witkoff continued by speaking passionately for over an hour about the Holy Land of Israel and the hostages still in captivity by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

He shared how deeply President Trump cares for the people of Israel, emphasizing the president’s commitment to meeting with hostage families—often rearranging his schedule at a moment’s notice—to reassure them of his determination to do everything possible to secure their loved ones’ release.

Witkoff joined the crowd in saying Yizkor. Later, he graciously answered questions from the audience. He concluded with a powerful message: the importance of being proud Jews and living up to the responsibility of embodying Jewish values at all times.

Read More: Steve Witkoff Davened Yom Kippur at Chabad in Miami Beach