State Sen. Sally Harrell represents one of the largest constituencies of Jewish voters in Georgia. That’s why Atlanta’s Jewish community was disappointed that she did not support House Bill 30, a bill defining antisemitism, that was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp on Jan. 31.
Harrell joined a conversation with the Jewish Community Relations Council and other Atlanta Jewish leaders in a virtual meeting held on Feb. 13 to explain her position.
Following the bill for three sessions of the Georgia General Assembly, Harrell had been prepared to support HB30. On the day of the vote, she delivered a speech on the Senate floor denigrating the bill and then declined to vote.
“I recognize that I probably shocked a lot of you with my hesitations about House Bill 30, and I apologize for that. I actually shocked myself,” Harrell said.
She continued: “I didn’t want to vote no, and I didn’t feel good voting yes because of my concerns about the unintended consequences. It is not uncommon for legislators to abstain, or watch, as we call it.”
In November, Harrell said voices opposing the bill grew louder. She spoke with Muslim Arabs, including a fellow senator and someone with family in Gaza.
“On any issue that affects a group of your constituents, you should be listening to your constituents. I wouldn’t expect you to turn to the Jewish community to define Islamophobia,” said Michael Jacobs, a participant in the meeting.
The Anti-Defamation League, the National Council for Jewish Women, and the Union for Reform Judaism – three major players – announced concerns about using the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which was adopted in the bill.
“I was trying to hold a place for everybody,” Harrell said. “The concerns that were being brought to me were about free speech.”
Harrell is referring to claims that under HB30, it would be illegal to criticize the Israeli government. Proponents of the bill say the First Amendment still applies.
The bill isn’t about the war in Israel, said Melanie Nelkin, past president of the American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta office. It’s about the Jewish community feeling unsafe.
“People are afraid to be self-identified as Jewish in public, even in private. They are being doxxed and targeted,” Nelkin said.
Antisemitism had been on the rise for years before the Israel-Hamas War, initiated by the Hamas attack on Oct.7 killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 240. Since then, the Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli Defense Forces.
The war has only exacerbated antisemitism, said Temple Emanuel President Robert Wittenstein.
Antisemitic flyers were distributed in Harrell’s district in 2022, which affected her Jewish friends as well as her transgender child. My heart is with the Jewish community, Harrell said.
“I’m with you, but in this case, my concern was that the codification of the IHRA definition could be misused and could cause further harm. So, in that regard, my heart was with you, even though it doesn’t look like it and you’re not experiencing it that way,” said Harrell.
“It is baffling to me that someone who was a vocal supporter of the hate crimes law and expressed concerns during this call about LGBTQ protections being excised from that law would stick to opposition to HB30 on the basis of free-speech concerns — the same concerns many people used to oppose the hate crimes law,” said Jacobs, who was representing only his own views. “I suspect you could take her exact comments today about the uncertainty and dangers of how the courts will act and find them coming out of the mouths of opponents of the hate crimes law in the years before it passed.”
