The Complex Reality of Black–Jewish Coalitions in Georgia
AT A JEWISH DEMOCRATIC COUNCIL OF AMERICA virtual election celebration on January 17th, newly elected Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock reminded the audience about “the longstanding relationship between the African American community and the Jewish community, our shared values, our sense of justice and struggle for peace in the world,” citing the connection between Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who had once been a pastor at the Atlanta church where Warnock now presides, and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. His fellow Georgia senator-elect, Jon Ossoff, offered a similar sentiment, referencing his mentor Rep. John Lewis’s support for Black–Jewish coalitions. “I know that Congressman Lewis is looking down at us in Georgia right now and smiling . . . the heart of the old Confederacy and the cradle of the Confederacy will be represented in a few days by the Jewish son of an immigrant and an African American pastor of Ebeneze
Jewish Ledger
Jon Ossoff sworn in on book owned by rabbi of bombed Atlanta shul
(JTA) – Jon Ossoff, the first Jew ever elected to the Senate from Georgia, was sworn into office on a book of Hebrew scripture once owned by the rabbi who decades ago forged the alliance between Black and Jewish Georgians that helped propel Ossoff to a stunning electoral win. The book was once owned by Rabbi Jacob Rothschild whose leadership of the Temple – where, as it happens, Ossoff celebrated his bar mitzvah. Ossoff was sworn in Wednesday, Jan. 20, hours after Joe Biden was inaugurated as president. “Rabbi Rothschild was an outspoken civil rights activist and ally of Dr. [Martin Luther] King,” Ossoff’s campaign said, noting that Rothschild’s family had loaned Ossoff the bible.
Democrats officially take control of Senate after Harris swears in Ossoff, Warnock and Padilla Christal Hayes, USA TODAY
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WASHINGTON – Georgia’s Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff were sworn into the Senate Wednesday, officially giving Democrats control of the chamber as President Joe Biden aims to push through his legislative agenda.
The senators were sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, one of her first actions as vice president hours after she and Biden celebrated their inauguration. Harris, who resigned the Senate this week before her inauguration, also swore in her replacement: Democrat Alex Padilla, California s first Latino senator.
Associated Press
FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013 file photo, Vice President Joe Biden, left, places his hand on the Biden family Bible held by his wife, Jill Biden, center, as he takes the oath of office from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, right, during an official ceremony at the Naval Observatory in Washington. While many presidents have used Bibles for their inaugurations, the Constitution does not require the use of a specific text and specifies only the wording of presidentâs oath. That wording also doesnât include the phrase âso help me God,â but every modern president has appended it to their oaths and most have chosen symbolically resonant Bibles for their inaugurations. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Kamala Harris swears in three senators in first official act as VP independent.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from independent.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.