Senator Jon Ossoff calls for unity following recent anti-Semitic demonstrations in metro Atlanta and in Bibb County.
Georgia's first Jewish U.S. Senator, Ossoff told those gathered inside Mulberry Street United Methodist Church in Macon, Georgia, about his experiences. He spoke of learning from his own family members who survived the Holocaust and the importance of speaking out against all symbols of hate and murder.
“As we react in this beautiful, united, and determined way to what happened last weekend," Ossoff said Sunday, "it’s painful, but important, to remember that the swastika is not merely a symbol of hate — hate is an idea or a feeling — the swastika is a symbol of massacre, slavery, medical experimentation, extermination, and genocide,”
It was on Friday, June 23rd, when residents in Warner Robins reportedly found anti-Jewish fliers in their yards. More than a dozen people showed up outside Temple Beth Israel Synagogue in Macon shouting obscenities. Neo-Nazis showed up the following day with swastika flags outside the Chabad of Cobb Synagogue in Marietta.
Senator Raphael Warnock spoke out against antisemitism, saying on social media "This has got to stop." Governor Brian Kemp and other politicians also condemned the anti-semitic actions. Kemp wrote on social media that he shares in the outrage over the events and stands with Georgians everywhere in condemnation.