Lubin Loses Bid for State Senate Seat

After the party primaries on May 21, the possibility remains that when the General Assembly reconvenes in January there could be more than one Jewish member.

If that happens it will be in the House, as Democratic Sen. Sally Harrell won nearly 71 percent of the vote to defeat David Lubin in the District 40 Democratic primary.

David Lubin lost to Democratic Sen. Sally Harrell in the District 40 Democratic primary.

Lubin, whose 20-year-old daughter, Rose Ida Lubin, was killed on Nov. 6, 2023, in Jerusalem while serving in the Israel Defense Forces, challenged Harrell after she abstained in March from voting on a bill to add the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism to the Georgia code.

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“I want to thank the Jewish community for supporting my campaign,” Lubin told the AJT. “It was inspiring to see Jews and people of other faiths, across both the religious and political spectrum, come together to support our 40th district community and my advocacy against antisemitism. We must continue to stand against leaders who are not supportive of the Jewish community in America, Israel, and across the world. We have a duty to ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren to protect them. To achieve this, we must put aside our differences and unite for our safety and our survival.”

Harrell will face Republican challenger Amelia K. Siamomua in the Nov. 5 general election.

District 40 stretches from Brookhaven in the southwest to Peachtree Corners in the northeast and includes Chamblee and Dunwoody.

Esther Panitch, who is seeking a second term, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She is being challenged in November by Keith Gettmann, who faced no Republican primary opponent.

In the 2023-24 cycle, Esther Panitch, a first-term Democrat representing House District 51 from Fulton County, frequently was referred to as “the only Jewish member of the legislature.”

Panitch, who is seeking a second term, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She is being challenged in November by Keith Gettmann, who faced no Republican primary opponent.

Susie Greenberg ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination in House District 53 and in November will face incumbent Republican Rep. Deborah Silcox.

Susie Greenberg ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination in House District 53 and in November will face incumbent Republican Rep. Deborah Silcox.

Though neither faced opposition, Greenberg drew several hundred more votes in the Democratic primary than Silcox did in the Republican. Greenberg posted on X (formerly Twitter): “I am energized by yesterday’s primary results and all those who cast a ballot for our campaign. The numbers send a clear message: we HAVE the momentum and, together we WILL flip HD53 in November.”

Greenberg, an attorney and co-founder of Campus Concierge Service, has served on the board of Temple Sinai and is co-vice president for advocacy of the National Council of Jewish Women chapter in Atlanta.

District 53 includes Roswell, Sandy Springs, and the Buckhead community in Atlanta.

Debra Shigley won 66 percent of the vote to defeat Anthia Carter for the Democratic nomination in House District 47. In November, Shigley will face incumbent Rep. Jan Jones, the second-ranking Republican in the House.

Debra Shigley won 66 percent of the vote to defeat Anthia Carter for the Democratic nomination in House District 47. In November, Shigley will face incumbent Rep. Jan Jones, the second-ranking Republican in the House.

Her campaign says that Shigley, a member of The Temple, is the first African American Jewish woman to seek a seat in the General Assembly. She is an attorney and co-founder of a company called Colours, a technology-based hair care service for women of color.

“I am very proud to be the Democratic nominee. As a Jewish woman my faith guides me to advocate for my neighbors and that means fighting for reproductive freedom, gun safety, and strong public schools,” Shigley told the AJT.

Jan Jones won 81 percent of the vote to defeat Republican primary challenger, P. (Phoebe) Eckhardt.

District 47 is made up of sections of Alpharetta, Mountain Park, Milton, and Roswell.

The November ballot for House District 45 in East Cobb will feature Democrat Eric Castater (pictured), a member of Congregation Etz Chaim, against Republican incumbent Rep. Sharon Cooper.

The November ballot for House District 45 in East Cobb will pit Democrat Eric Castater, a member of Congregation Etz Chaim, against Republican incumbent Rep. Sharon Cooper. Both ran unopposed in their party primaries. As required by state law, while he runs for office, Castater is on leave from his position as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Kennesaw State University.

In House District 25, incumbent Republican Todd Jones, who does not identify solely as Jewish though his mother is Jewish, received 75.7 percent of the vote to defeat Carey Lucas in the GOP primary and will face Democratic challenger Elaine Padgett in the general election.

In House District 25, incumbent Republican Todd Jones, who does not identify solely as Jewish though his mother is Jewish, received 75.7 percent of the vote to defeat Carey Lucas in the GOP primary and will face Democratic challenger Elaine Padgett in the general election.

Dr. Barry Zisholtz ran unopposed in the Republican primary in House District 86 — which, after redistricting, now includes Toco Hills — and in November will face Democratic incumbent Rep. Imani Barnes, who ran unopposed in her party’s primary.

Republicans currently enjoy a legislative trifecta — holding 101 seats in the 180-seat House and 33 seats in the 56-seat Senate, along with Brian Kemp in his second term as governor.

By one estimate, the Jewish population of Georgia may now number about 141,020, nearly 1.3 percent of the state’s population, pegged by the Census Bureau in 2023 to be 11,029,227. Historically, Jews vote in percentages far greater than their representation in the population.