Letters to the Editor: Open Letter to Senator Ossoff

To the Editor,

What’s at Stake for Our Jewish Community in this Senate Election
The recent Atlanta Jewish Times open letter to Senator Jon Ossoff asks us to consider what it means for a Jewish community to evaluate a candidate for the United States Senate. I believe it means looking at the whole person, the whole record and, perhaps most importantly, the world in which we are asking that person to lead. The choice before us is not simply between two candidates with different approaches to Israel and its current government. It is a choice about who we trust to stand up for Jewish safety, democratic values and the fight against antisemitism when those commitments are tested.
We cannot evaluate this election in a vacuum. The alternative to Jon Ossoff is Congressman Mike Collins, and for members of the Jewish community, that should give us serious pause. Collins has a documented history of engaging with and amplifying material steeped in antisemitism and far-right rhetoric. In 2024, he endorsed an X post from an account known for racist and antisemitic content and doubled down when challenged. His former Chief of Staff participated in a group chat with white nationalists, including discussion of efforts to free a Holocaust-denying extremist. More recently, Collins has faced scrutiny over his son-in-law’s promotion of white nationalist and antisemitic content online. Despite multiple opportunities to do so, Mike Collins refuses to refute white Christian nationalism.This should deeply concern Georgia’s Jewish community. We should ask not simply whether a candidate says he supports Israel, both of these candidates do, but whether his record demonstrates the judgment, values and leadership necessary to keep Jewish communities safe.
Jon Ossoff has consistently supported American military assistance to Israel, including funding for Iron Dome and other systems that protect Israelis from rocket and missile attacks. To portray his concerns about Israel’s current government — concerns shared by nearly 70% of American Jews — as abandonment of Israel is cynical and misleading. His record demonstrates a clear commitment to Israel as a secure and democratic Jewish homeland and to the values that underpin the U.S.-Israel relationship.
We are living through a period in which democratic norms are under extraordinary strain and antisemitism is rising from multiple directions. The lesson of Jewish history is that the health of our democracy is not an abstract concern for our community. It is a matter of Jewish security. Mike Collins votes 100% in lockstep with Donald Trump. He supports the attack on our voting rights and will undoubtedly support placing another conservative Republican on the U.S. Supreme Court if given the chance. Our country needs checks and balances on power, a Democratic Senate will restore that balance.
At such a moment, we need a senator who understands that fighting antisemitism means opposing it wherever it comes from — and that Jewish safety cannot be separated from the health of our democratic institutions. Jon Ossoff has demonstrated that commitment. He has been deeply engaged with Georgia’s Jewish community and has spoken publicly and forcefully about the rise of antisemitism.
That does not mean we as a Jewish community will agree with every decision he makes. But our relationships with elected officials should be substantive enough to include disagreement. And there is a profound difference between disagreement and mischaracterization of policy positions.
This election is a choice about who will represent Georgia and help shape the political environment in which our Jewish community will live for the next six years. For me, that choice is clear. Jon Ossoff has proven to be a senator deeply connected to the Jewish community, committed to Israel’s security, willing to fight antisemitism, and mindful that protecting Jewish life requires protecting democratic institutions as well.
We should recognize what we have in our current senator — and what we stand to lose.
Valerie Habif, PhD, Organizing and Partner Engagement Committee Vice Chair; Jewish Democratic Council of America; Co-founder, Jewish Democratic Women’s Salon, Atlanta

To the Editor,

Michael Morris fairly identifies Senator Ossoff’s increasing willingness to restrict specific arms transfers to Israel, but he unfairly frames those votes as broad opposition to Israel and its military and financial support. The letter omits important countervailing votes — particularly Ossoff’s votes permitting major weapons transfers — that show a more nuanced position: continued support for Israel’s defense while selectively opposing particular weapons sales. It also overlooks the changing political reality surrounding U.S. military funding of Israel. Netanyahu himself has said Israel has “come of age” and should phase that assistance down to zero, making continued aid increasingly distinct from the broader question of U.S. support for Israel’s security.
Eli Kaplan, Coral Gables, Fla.

To the Editor,

Your recent open letter to Jon Ossoff is of great concern to me. Advocating unconditional support for Israel and attacking American politicians who demand Israel to behave better is both dangerous to the future existence of Israel and our American democracy.
If you want to have a serious conversation with Jon Ossoff, please go ahead. If you want to understand why he voted against a very small amount of funding for weapons to Israel, go ahead. Openly attacking him will leave us with Mike Collins. We need adults in the room to reign in the current Israeli government or all will be lost. Americans and the world are turning against Israel. You may win your battle, but we will lose the war.
Jodi Bogen, Alpharetta

To the Editor,

In November 2024, I said publicly that I was disheartened by Sen. Ossoff’s votes to block weapons transfers to Israel. I was among the most vocal Democratic critics of those votes in this state. I am still dealing with the blowback from members of my party.
So, I read Michael Morris’s open letter as someone who shares much of the anger in it. Michael has been clear with me that he did not endorse Mike Collins, and that his point was the senator’s voting record and what he can do to correct it. I take him at his word, and I accept the standard: judge them by the record.
Then let’s finish the sentence. There are two names on this ballot. Mike Collins voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act — the federal version of the IHRA definition bill I co-sponsored and Georgia passed into law. When the vote was about Jewish students on American campuses, he was a no.
In 2024, when an antisemitic account attacked a reporter for being Jewish, Collins replied “never was a second thought.” I called his office myself and asked him to take it down. He doubled down and told us we were seeing things that weren’t there. His son-in-law has pushed white nationalist and antisemitic material to more than a million and a half followers from a house Collins owns. Collins said nothing until CNN reported it, and then still would not disavow him.
And this month, in a Sandy Springs living room, a Jewish guest asked Collins directly to denounce white supremacy so he could feel comfortable voting for him. This paper’s own editor was there taking notes. Collins said, “hate has no place in America,” and stopped. Eighty Jews in the room, and he would not say the words that he rejects white supremacy.
That is a record, too. If we are going to be driven by the record, we have to read all of it.
I am not asking anyone to be comfortable with votes I was not comfortable with. I am asking that the same scrutiny run in both directions. A standard that points only one way is not a standard.
If Mike Collins is sorry, he can say so — out loud, in public, in his own voice. I will be the first to acknowledge it.
I disagree with Jon Ossoff about these votes, and I am standing with him. Both are true. I have spent four years saying hard things to my own party and to the other one, and I intend to keep doing it.
My worry is not that we are angry. The anger is earned. But I have read Mike Collins’s record, and I cannot get there. If you read all of it, I don’t think you can either.”
Georgia State Rep. Esther Panitch, House District 51

To the Editor,

I have read your editor’s criticism of Senator Jon Ossoff for his voting record on Israel. Ossoff is right on in supporting the State of Israel while opposing arms sales while the Netanyahu government continues its genocidal, policies against Palestinians and insists it will continue its occupation of parts of Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip “for Israel’s security.” I am pro-Israel and Jewish, but I will not support Israel’s current government and its war crimes. Senator Ossoff is doing a terrific job, and I strongly support his reelection.
Robert E. Snyder, Sandy Springs

To the Editor,

I wanted to thank you for your open letter to Senator Ossoff. I appreciated its clarity, directness, and willingness to ask difficult questions about the distinction between expressions of support for Israel and the votes that have real consequences.
Your point that elected officials should be accountable not only for what they say to their constituents, but also for how they vote when tangible support is at stake, was especially powerful. Whatever explanations are offered for individual votes, constituents deserve consistency and candor about where their representatives actually stand.
I also appreciated your challenge to Senator Ossoff to own his record and explain it plainly, rather than allowing reassuring rhetoric to substitute for accountability.
I sincerely hope your letter does not fall on deaf ears. At a time when Israel and the Jewish community are facing extraordinarily serious challenges, thoughtful and forthright voices willing to demand accountability are important.
Thank you for using your platform at the Atlanta Jewish Times to raise these questions so directly. I hope Senator Ossoff takes your letter seriously and responds with the same degree of clarity.
With appreciation,
Rabbi Reuven H. Taff, Sacramento, Calif.

To the Editor,

After decades of reading, from cover to cover, the Atlanta Jewish Times and before that the Southern Israelite, I have looked forward every time a new edition was published to learn more about our wonderful and diverse Jewish community. It was with tremendous disappointment that I read the most recent issue to find our one and only Jewish community paper being so partisan at this time when our community is in desperate need of coming together instead of being further divided. We are living in a moment when our basic right to vote is under assault. This important Jewish newspaper should be urging the Jewish community to be informed, and to be sure to vote and exercise this basic right. We should encourage people to vote their conscience and values and support safe and secure elections in November in Georgia.
Sherry Frank, Atlanta

To the Editor,

Thank you, Michael, for your truthful, detailed analysis of the true Ossoff. Sadly, Atlanta has too many uber-liberal Jews, especially clergy. They continue to enable the fast-growing American antisemitism with their mindless voting.
So long as they keep voting for KAPOs like Ossoff, and the other Democrat KAPOs, as well as all the non-Jewish politicians in the Democrat Party with one exception, they are strongly responsible for Jew hatred! Please keep publishing the truth about these wolves in sheep clothing!
Sherwin Cerini, Rochester, N.Y.

To the Editor,

Thanks so much for your open letter: whereas Ossoff sits on the same bandwagon as many other (Democratic) senators, you made it quite clear that the sleaze factor is perhaps more important than the policy issues themselves. He insults us.
By publishing this open letter, you have raised the visibility of Ossoff’s dishonesty domestically, nationally, and beyond. I do not know if that visibility will change the voting behavior of this ambitious and opportunistic politician; one can only hope, but it will depend on polling data. As Seth Mandel wrote in Commentary regarding your letter, if honesty “complicates Ossoff’s quest for power, he wouldn’t be worthy of it anyway.”
Rafael Harpaz, MD, Atlanta

To the Editor,

Let’s Engage in Civil Discourse as We Head into Election Season
The Jewish community here in Atlanta and everywhere in the United States is not immune to the national deterioration of civil discourse. We can dish it out with jabs and roundhouses. Our weapons are our tongues. But sometimes, the punch is below the belt.
I expect the Atlanta Jewish Times, our Jewish community’s paper of record, to be above the noise. Just report facts and present analysis. Provide different viewpoints in a respectful manner.
But unfortunately, the paper dove into our country’s divisive mosh pit the other day in the publisher’s “open letter” decrying Sen. Jon Ossoff’s rhetoric and policies about Israel.
His position wouldn’t have bothered me one bit if he hadn’t engaged in what I see as character assassination.
Publisher Michael Morris believes Ossoff is being disingenuous when he says he is pro-Israel but casts votes the pro-Israeli right thinks are anti-Israel. His view for sure is shared by many Republicans and some Democrats.
Many of us believe Jon Ossoff’s positions and votes on Israel are nuanced and intelligent.
We on the Democratic and J Street side who are pro-Israel and favor peace between Israelis and Palestinians believe the senator’s worldview is the right way to go in settling the dispute over there.
But these fair disagreements melted away because the publisher stepped over the line and accused the senator of dishonesty.
“Stop lying to me,” Morris said to Ossoff.
The dramatic accusation coursed through the letter till the very last sentence. Subsequent stories in other news outlets about Morris’ comments focused on that “lying” theme.
People on the right aren’t the only ones to slander and libel. People from the left and the center do it, too. At one time or another, we’re all guilty of ugly smack talk.
But this is the influential publisher of our local paper unfairly attacking the character of an intelligent and articulate Jewish public servant who is the pride of so many of us in Georgia.
The publisher’s verbiage wasn’t lost on us at Atlanta’s Jewish Community Relations Council.
I brought up the issue the other day when it was my turn to deliver a d’var torah at our board meeting in Sandy Springs.
I focused on a verse in a Torah portion — Ki Teitzei — that raised the issue of lashon hara, the phrase meaning “evil speech.” Accusing our esteemed senator of “lying” reminded me of that term, I said. It is the kind of speech we at the JCRC are fighting.
Our board members are from different walks of life with differing political points of view. But there was a general consensus at our gathering: We acknowledge and understand character assassination is dangerous and counterproductive in discussing hot-button issues.
We at JCRC believe in civility, decency, and honesty in our discourse and we happen to be embarking on programs to address the problem.
The civil discourse we favor at JCRC needs to drown out character assassination, smear campaigns and fear mongering within the Jewish community as we head into election season.
The publisher’s “open letter” underscored the urgency of our work.
Joe Sterling, member of the boards of the Atlanta JCRC and J Street Georgia. The views expressed by Sterling in the letter are solely his own.

To the Editor,

As owner and publisher of the AJT, you certainly have the right to express your political views. However, you don’t have the right to unilaterally question the views of others who don’t share your convictions. Who are you to doubt Jon Ossoff’s (or anyone else) sincerity for stating his/her ironclad support for Israel because it does not align with yours? If the purpose of your editorial chastising Senator Ossoff for his votes on Israel was to help sway voting in November, you are being myopic. As a Georgia Senator, Ossoff has honorably and faithfully represented the best interests of his constituents and fellow Americans on any number of important issues. Your comments only serve to divide the Jewish community’s support of Israel as an all or nothing proposition. It is not.
Leaving politics aside, are you interested in your new-born grandchild being raised in an environment where bullying, lying, denial of any responsibility, hatred, antisemitism, and white supremacy (to mention just a few) are now accepted as the norms of our democratic society? I, for one, want better for my family.
Judy Cohen, Atlanta

To the Editor,

I am writing to express concern about your recent open letter regarding Senator Ossoff. My objection is not to your criticism of Senator Ossoff, his positions, or his votes. Those are legitimate subjects for debate. I am, however, troubled by the letter’s partisan framing, which reduces complex questions of global politics to one specific Senate vote, treats that vote as definitive evidence of Senator Ossoff’s overall beliefs, and presents the author’s personal political position on that vote as though it reflects the views of the Jewish community more broadly.
There is no single Jewish position on Israel, the war in Gaza, U.S. military assistance, the Israeli government, or Senator Ossoff. Jewish Georgians hold a wide range of views on these issues. You are certainly entitled to speak as an individual Jewish constituent and on behalf of your publication. However, as the publisher of a publication called the Atlanta Jewish Times, you have a responsibility to clarify that your letter represents only you and your publication, rather than implying that its editorial position speaks for the Atlanta Jewish community as a whole.
This distinction is particularly important because assuming that Jews share a particular political position concerning Israel can reinforce longstanding antisemitic tropes about Jewish political allegiance or dual loyalty. The problem is not acknowledging that Israel is an important issue for many Jewish Americans. It is treating Jewish identity as though it necessarily dictates a particular political position about Israel or American foreign policy.
I was also uncomfortable with the letter’s suggestion that Senator Ossoff might speak differently to Muslim and Jewish audiences. That framing risks reducing both communities to political blocs with competing interests and loyalties, rather than recognizing them as diverse groups of individuals.
Craig Silverman and Anne Cohen, Atlanta

To the Editor,

As a longtime reader of the Atlanta Jewish Times/Southern Israelite since before Mike Morris was even born, I, and many others are extremely disappointed in his effort to discredit Senator Ossoff at a time that, we, as Jews should be pulling together and not cause negativism in our Jewish community and worsening a conflict that we are all feeling. I have heard many sermons across the country this past week that suggest we should come together and respect each other’s opinions.
Susan Feinberg, Atlanta

To the Editor,

Like many Jews, I support the state of Israel but not the corrupt Netanyahu government. Senator Ossoff rightly has voted to rein in the excesses of the Israeli response to the Oct. 7 attacks and refuses to endorse the blank check that the Trump administration has issued to Netanyahu.
Further, like many Jews, I am not a single-issue voter and evaluate candidates by much more than their perceived support for Israel. Ossoff, by his words and actions, upholds Jewish values, including Tikkun Olam and Tzedakah. This is in contrast to President Trump and Representative Collins, Ossoff’s opponent in the Senate race, who consistently advocate for policies that oppose charity, righteousness and justice.
Robert Wiskind, Sandy Springs

To the Editor,

As a former state chair of AIPAC, a former board member of the American Jewish Congress Southeast, a former member of the United Jewish Appeal Young Leadership Cabinet, and a recipient of the Atlanta Jewish Federation’s Young Leadership award, I say with confidence that it is a big mistake to conflate opposition to some actions of the Netanyahu government with being anti-Israel. Therein lies the fundamental error committed by a small fragment of Georgia’s Jewish community that has expressed support for GOP Senate nominee Mike Collins – a notorious antisemite with documented close ties to white nationalists.
Many Israelis have loudly protested the actions of their government. That does not make them anti-Israel, just as those of us who participated in the No Kings marches against the disastrous policies of the Trump administration are not anti-American. Indeed, even President Trump has recently called Netanyahu “crazy” for his actions in Lebanon and gotten angry at his refusal to back his Gaza plan and for bombing a Syrian air base.
Mike Collins has peddled antisemitism. He has surrounded himself with bigotry while refusing to denounce white supremacy. These values do not represent Georgians and are fundamental to why I will not be supporting Collins this election.
Meanwhile, Senator Jon Ossoff has remained steadfast in his commitment to delivering for the Jewish community. He’s voted for over $20 billion in aid to Israel, he’s been a loud advocate against antisemitism, and he sponsored a hostage held in Gaza with Atlanta synagogues, demanding his release from the floor of the U.S. Senate.
For those reasons, I am committed to supporting him over a candidate that has thus far refused to stand up for Georgia’s Jewish community.
Richard Mitchell, Atlanta