COMMENTARY MAG
A Watershed Moment in American Jewish History
Seth Mandel
February 17, 2025

Jon Ossoff is Georgia’s first Jewish senator. And the Jews of the Peach State are doing something remarkable: refusing to be taken for granted. Though this drama is playing out behind the scenes, it represents a watershed in American Jewish politics. The New York Times has obtained a letter sent privately in December to Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, urging him to run for Senate against Ossoff. The twist: The signatories of the letter included prominent Jewish Democrats…What’s their beef with Ossoff? The senator’s vote to withhold U.S. weapons transfers to Israel seems to have been the trigger. This was made worse by watching Ossoff preen on the Senate floor in an eight-minute rekindling of ugly Hamas propaganda in support of withholding those weapons. READ MORE