Jewish Georgia State Representative finds anti-Semitic message on North Fulton County driveway
"They picked the wrong one, because I'm not going to let it go"
A Georgia State Representative said she found an anti-Semitic flyer strewn across her lawn over the weekend. Not only is Rep. Esther (D-Dist. 51) Jewish herself, but she says she is also currently co-sponsoring a bill that would combat hateful acts just like this.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Over the first full weekend of February, North Fulton County residents reported anti-Jewish flyers dumped on their lawns by a hate group. One of the recipients of those messages was a lawmaker who just happens to be working on a bill aimed at combating hate.
"You don’t know if there’s something coming next," Esther Panitch (D) who represents Dist. 51 told FOX 5's Christopher King.
Rep. Panitch says her husband stepped out of their home on Sunday morning to grab the newspaper when he noticed something littered on their property.
"He came back in and said there was some antisemitic literature-garbage on our driveway," she told FOX 5.
Anti-Semitic messages found in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs neighborhoods. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
They were just one house among dozens around Dunwoody and Sandy Springs to receive bags full of corn kernels and propaganda.
"It’s everywhere," Panitch said, "It just happens to be here now."
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The flyers called the Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish-religious law, "satanic".
Panitch is the only Jewish lawmaker in the Georgia state-house.
She said the vile messages made her stomach churn, and left her feeling violated. She said despite that, she wants to use those feelings to fight.
"I happen to have a large megaphone as a state representative," she said.
Panitch said she is co-sponsoring a bill that would clearly define anti-Semitism. Currently, Panitch said the Georgia code does not have a definition for it.
Meanwhile, the International Holocaust Alliance has defined anti-Semitism as hatred toward Jewish people. It is rhetorical and physical acts against Jewish people, their property, community, institution, and religious facilities.
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"The code could be used to determine the intent of the person," she said. "Certainly, this appears to be anti-Semitic, and it would fall under the definition of anti-Semitism."
Anti-Semitic messages found in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs neighborhoods. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
It wasn’t clear whether Panitch was specifically targeted in this incident because of her faith, or whether it was a random act of hate.
What Panitch agrees is clear is her proposal could trigger enhanced penalties under the state’s new hate crimes law.
"Everyone else should beware of what we have to go through so we can do something about," she said. "It’s just too much."
While both Dunwoody and Sandy Springs police investigate, Panitch said acts like these are evidence of why the state needs to aggressively define what anti-Semitism is.