Letter to the Editor: Rabbi Larry Sernovitz

Letter to the Editor,

As a community leader, I believe in civic engagement. That means meeting with our own elected officials — even those I may disagree with asking tough questions, listening to their answers, and, hopefully, find common ground. In the post-October 7th world in which we live, the safety and security of thousands of Jewish college students across the State of Georgia is, and continues to be, of critical importance. That’s why I agreed to meet with Senator Jon Ossoff at the request of the Atlanta Rabbinical Association.

It has come to my attention that some members of our community have seen that photo, which appeared in the Atlanta Jewish Times, and mistakenly interpreted it as an endorsement of Senator Ossoff’s positions. The purpose of this letter is to clarify that it is not.

I wanted to understand the Senator’s thinking — to hear directly why he has taken votes and positions that, in my view, place him squarely against Israel at a time when the Jewish state is fighting for its survival, and why he refuses to embrace the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism — the global gold standard for identifying and combating Jew-hatred.

I asked him simple, direct questions: Why oppose measures that reaffirm America’s commitment to Israel’s security? Why stand against a definition of antisemitism endorsed by dozens of democratic governments, used by law enforcement agencies, and supported by Jewish communities across the political spectrum?

The answers never came. What I heard instead were evasions, generalities, and a shifting of the conversation to unrelated topics. Not once did he articulate a substantive reason why the IHRA definition — which explicitly protects free speech while providing clear guidance on when criticism of Israel crosses into antisemitism — should be rejected. Not once did he acknowledge the message it sends when a Jewish Senator refuses to stand with the consensus of his own community on something so fundamental.

Equally troubling, public officials must not use such meetings as photo opportunities to suggest consensus or communal approval that does not exist. Doing so is not just misleading — it is dangerous. When images of dialogue are presented without the substance of accountability, they create a false narrative of unity and shared understanding where none exists. That deception erodes trust within the Jewish community, confuses allies who rely on accurate representations of leadership positions, and shields policymakers from scrutiny. In a moment when antisemitism is rising and Israel’s legitimacy is under coordinated attack, clarity is essential. Using photo ops to blur that line undermines the very transparency and honesty civic engagement is meant to promote.

Rabbi Larry Sernovitz, Chief Executive Officer, Hillels of Georgia