With the entry this week of Derek Dooley, a friend of Gov. Brian Kemp who hails from college football royalty in Georgia, the Republican field in the Georgia Senate race is taking shape.

Dooley, whose father coached the Georgia Bulldogs and who spent several years leading the rival Tennessee Volunteers, announced Monday that he’d be running against Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Mike Collins (R-GA) in the Republican primary to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Republicans’ top-targeted incumbent.

Kemp, a popular Republican governor, was seen as Republicans’ best chance of ousting Ossoff. Some prominent Jewish former Ossoff donors in the state reached out to Kemp late last year urging him to run against Ossoff, frustrated by the senator’s votes last year to block some weapons transfers to Israel. But Kemp ultimately passed on the race. Ossoff has worked to rebuild trust with disaffected Jewish voters, but those efforts were hampered by his vote last week to block a shipment of assault weapons to Israel.

Kemp has family ties to Dooley, who has brought on top Kemp advisors, is likely to receive the governor’s backing and pursue a center-right lane in the race, while portraying himself as a political outsider. All the candidates have been making the pivotal pitch for President Donald Trump’s backing in the race and tying themselves closely to him, hoping that key endorsement will help them clear the field.

With Kemp’s help, Dooley could potentially peel off support from moderate Jewish Democrats still frustrated by Ossoff, though Jewish leaders in the state told Jewish Insider last week that they’re not yet making any commitments in the race. They say they’re waiting to see who emerges from the Republican primary and how Ossoff’s record shapes up over the coming months before they decide whether to support the incumbent next November.

Dooley, for his part, is wasting little time in courting their votes.

“I stand with our ally Israel and firmly believe they should have the necessary resources to defend themselves against terrorists,” Dooley said in a statement to JI. “While Jon Ossoff continues to vote against Israel and American national security interests, I will be a leading voice for a strong America and a strong Israel in the Senate.”

Emanuel Fialkow, a prominent conservative member of Georgia’s Jewish community, said that Kemp’s team connected him to Dooley and the two spoke at length on a variety of issues, including antisemitism and Israel. Fialkow said he was previously part of a group of Jewish donors who urged Kemp to run against Ossoff.

Fialkow said that Dooley had asked him about a range of issues including Israel policy, the war in Gaza and antisemitism, and that he subsequently agreed to help Dooley develop an Israel position paper, which Fialkow described as very strongly pro-Israel. He said that Dooley “will have a backbone” in support of Israel.

He subsequently organized a lunch meeting at his home to introduce Dooley to a small group of others in the state, many of them Jewish, including both traditional Republicans and Democrats. Fialkow said that the group discussed a range of issues and came away seeing Dooley as honest, humble, inspiring, engaging and curious to learn more. He praised Dooley as a proven leader and a “really good guy” who can speak to people from a range of backgrounds, and is interested in listening to and learning from people.

He said other Jewish leaders in the Atlanta area are also in discussions with and about supporting Dooley. Others said they haven’t been in touch with Dooley or his surrogates yet.

Fialkow said that he and some other Jewish leaders in the state see Ossoff’s relationship with them as broken beyond repair, and said they can’t trust him going forward to be a reliable supporter of Israel. He argued that Dooley is the “only chance” for Zionist voters who put support for Israel first. 

Ossoff, for his part, maintains some vocal supporters in the Jewish community.

Cary Levow, a supporter of pro-Israel causes and candidates, told JI last week, “I support Senator Ossoff and know of other Jewish Georgians who understand that Jon’s approach to the Gaza humanitarian issue is genuine.” 

“Senator Ossoff has voted for over $20 billion in aid to Israel, has family living in Israel and has spent a significant amount of time in the country,” Levow continued. “I think Jon has represented the Jewish community well and I have zero concern about a senator who is critical of how [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] Bibi is waging this war.”

Fialkow argued that the only way for a Republican to win is for both Kemp and Trump to be aligned behind the same candidate, and that a hard-right Republican can’t win statewide in Georgia, meaning that Dooley gives Republicans their best chance to beat Ossoff.

Fialkow said he’s spoken to Collins and is confident that he would never vote against U.S. support for Israel, due to his own religious convictions. Collins has voiced the same view in confrontations with anti-Israel activists.

Speaking at an Oct. 7 memorial ceremony in 2024, Collins called the U.S. Israel’s “greatest friend” and said that the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks had only strengthened the relationship between the two partners. He said he would work to make sure Israel receives all the support it needs to defend itself.

“Hamas not only attacked the peaceful people of Israel that day, but they launched an assault against the idea of free and fair democracies in the Middle East,” Collins said.

But some elements of Collins’ record on antisemitism could raise red flags for others in the Jewish community. Last year, he refused to apologize for and doubled down on engaging with an antisemitic, racist Twitter account that was attacking a reporter for being Jewish. And he voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act, and has a record of engaging in otherwise extremist rhetoric online. 

“Mike Collins has condemned the hate speech seen on college campuses and around the globe, and has been an ardent supporter of Israel in Congress. While Jon Ossoff capitulated to woke activists and voted to cut aid to Israel, Mike Collins has stood strong and protected its right to exist,” a Collins campaign spokesperson told JI, when asked about his online history and vote on the antisemitism bill.

Carter, who is close with some Atlanta-area Jewish leaders, has been a vocal supporter of pro-Israel and Jewish causes in the House, including leading pushes for funding and support for Holocaust education programs, calling on colleagues to address antisemitism in health care, leading legislation to support U.S.-Israel cooperative programs, urging support for the snapback of U.N. sanctions on Iran and calling for Qatar and Turkey to expel Hamas leaders. He also supported the Antisemitism Awareness Act, unlike Collins.

Carter’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Other than Collins’ vote against the Antisemitism Awareness Act, both Carter and Collins have records of supporting legislation backing Israel and combating antisemitism, including voting for supplemental aid to Israel and a resolution describing anti-Zionism as antisemitic.

Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-GA) vote Wednesday night, with a majority of Senate Democrats, in favor of a resolution to block a shipment of automatic weapons to Israel is fueling renewed frustration with the senator within the Georgia Jewish community, setting back efforts by the senator to repair ties with Jewish voters who objected to similar votes last December.

Ossoff’s relationship with Georgia’s sizable Jewish community could be a critical deciding factor in his reelection campaign next November — with a tight margin of victory expected in the swing state, significant changes in Jewish voting patterns could help decide the election.

The Georgia senator alienated many in the Jewish community by voting in December for two of three resolutions to block aid shipments to Israel. In subsequent months — after a group of Jewish donors expressed support for Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp as a potential challenger — Ossoff reached out to Jewish community leaders and groups to work to repair ties, with some success.

Many leaders said at the time that he was making progress but had more work to do to fully regain their trust. Those efforts hit a stumbling block in June after Ossoff — whose second child had just been born — took nearly a week to comment on the war between Israel and Iran.

Ossoff said, of his votes on Wednesday, that he had voted for the resolution to block the automatic weapons to send a message to the Israeli government objecting to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as well as due to concerns that the weapons would be provided to police controlled by Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a controversial figure even in pro-Israel circles.

He said he voted against a second resolution blocking a sale of bombs and bomb guidance kits, because those weapons are necessary to strike targets throughout the region attempting to launch missiles and rockets at Israeli civilians. Ossoff had similarly opposed a resolution on bombs and guidance kits in November, while voting for two other resolutions to block other weapons transfers. 

Norman Radow, a major Democratic donor in Georgia who spoke to Ossoff on Wednesday evening after the votes, told Jewish Insider, “I’m disappointed with him and he knows it. And I think he knows that a vast majority of the Jewish community feels the same way.”

Radow said that Ossoff’s justifications for his vote on the assault rifles resolution didn’t hold water for him and his logic was “sophomoric.” The Democratic donor said he’d argued to the senator that Ossoff had overstated the extent of violence in the West Bank and of starvation in Gaza. 

And he said he told the senator that non-binding efforts condemning Hamas and its backers are ineffectual, as compared to the real impacts that cutting off military supplies to Israel would have. 

He indicated he appreciated the senator’s call.

“I’m disappointed in his behavior, but I can’t say it’s a surprise. We’ve seen this before,” Cheryl Dorchinsky, the founder of the grassroots Atlanta Israel Coalition, said. “It’s insane to me that anyone would think that voting against weapons to Israel during a war is a good idea, regardless of who’s in power.”

She said she feels adrift from both political parties. “When people that I see going into politics as having hopefully an interest in doing the right thing fail us as a people, it just kind of breaks my heart,” Dorchinsky said. She argued that Israel should not be a partisan issue, and blamed “bad actors” trying to turn it into one.

“While I wish [Ossoff] would have voted against both of [the resolutions], I’m very pleased he voted against [the one on bombs and bomb guidance kits],” Dov Wilker, who serves as the regional director of the American Jewish Committee in Atlanta, said. Wilker also said he was “disappointed” that the state’s other senator, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), had voted for both of the resolutions.

Another Jewish Democratic donor in Georgia said, “The yes vote with Sanders, who only wants to destroy the U.S.-Israel relationship, is concerning [and] emboldens the terrorists to continue to reject the ceasefire that was agreed to by Israel. It’s exactly what Hamas wants.”

Rabbi Joshua Heller of Atlanta’s Congregation B’nai Torah told JI that, while he does not endorse candidates, he’s heard in conversations that “a lot of folks who had previously been strong supporters of [Ossoff’s] in the Jewish community are not happy about the stands that he has taken.”

Heller said that, in conversations with him about such positions, Ossoff and his staff have highlighted actions he has taken in support of Israel, “and that is true, but every time a vote like this comes around, there is a break in trust and that becomes harder to restore.”

He said that in conversations with Democratic Jewish voters, many onetime Ossoff supporters are “having second thoughts, at this point,” and that there is a real “challenge in his relationship with a lot of folks in the Jewish community right now.”

“No Jewish community is monolithic, but I definitely see a lot of folks in the community who are troubled by this,” Heller said.

Ossoff still maintains supporters in the Jewish community who back his stance on this week’s resolutions.

Beth Sugarman, a prominent J Street member in Georgia, told JI, “The Jewish community has diversity of opinions, but the people I know think Jon Ossoff is thoughtful and represents us well and his statement and split vote was a good reflection of where the community is. The senator’s statement and split vote was thoughtful and exactly what the community believes.”

J Street supported both of the resolutions to block aid.

Cary Levow, a supporter of pro-Israel causes and candidates, said, “I support Senator Ossoff and know of other Jewish Georgians who understand that Jon’s approach to the Gaza humanitarian issue is genuine.” 

“Senator Ossoff has voted for over $20 billion in aid to Israel, has family living in Israel and has spent a significant amount of time in the country,” Levow continued. “I think Jon has represented the Jewish community well and I have zero concern about a senator who is critical of how [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] Bibi is waging this war.”

Larry Auerbach, a Georgia lawyer and Ossoff supporter, said, “Senator Ossoff has done what the vast majority of Georgia’s Jewish community has asked him to do to represent us well by standing up for protecting the Israeli people’s security and saying that the extremists in the Netanyahu administration can’t continue like this.”

National Republicans see Ossoff’s positions as an opening to peel off Jewish voters in the upcoming senatorial election. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which has seized on Ossoff’s November votes to block aid to Israel, again slammed him on Wednesday.

“Jon Ossoff is a radical leftist who time and again refuses to stand with Georgia’s Jewish community,” NRSC spokesperson Nick Puglia said in a statement. “He’d rather please the pro-Hamas extremists in his party than stand with Israel and Jewish Georgians. In 2026, voters will send him packing.”

Radow, the Democratic donor, argued that Ossoff’s votes were “bad politics,” though he said he’s not sure any of the current or prospective Republican candidates can beat Ossoff.

“He’s kowtowing to Bernie Sanders — that does not win elections in Georgia,” Radow said. “The only thing that Jon’s got going for him right now is the Republican field of candidates is pretty weak. … I want him to win, and he’s not winning my vote right now, and he’s not going to win a lot of people’s votes supporting Bernie resolutions.”

He said that whether he ultimately supports Ossoff next year will depend in part on which Republican ultimately ends up as the nominee against him.

“It’s certainly going to be an interesting race, and my vote is still up for grabs,” Radow said. “I’m not going to be a knee-jerk Democrat on this issue.”

He urged Ossoff, going forward, not to show public daylight with Israel, “stop playing secretary of state” and keep disputes with the Israeli officials behind closed doors. And he called on the senator to consult with Jewish community members before critical votes like this one, rather than reaching out afterward to explain his votes.

Dorchinsky said that she would “never say never to anything,” when asked if Ossoff could win her support at this point, and that she’ll “be paying attention” and make her final decision when she’s in the voting booth next year.

“He has a responsibility to represent us all, and if he actually started to, I would be thrilled. As of right now, I’m clearly not,” Dorchinsky said.

A Jewish leader in Georgia agreed that a key deciding question for wary Jewish voters will be who the Republican Party nominates to run against Ossoff in 2025.

The leader told JI he thinks that Ossoff’s vote for the assault rifles resolution could help him “thread the needle” more easily than other resolutions and represented a more “considerate” approach, given the Ben-Gvir connection. “I think the majority of American Jews are not fans of Ben-Gvir,” the Jewish leader said.

“I think that if he is consistent with his messaging around the specific nature of why he voted against the assault rifles, I think it’ll help people that are more on the fence with him, but want to vote for him — versus those that are just against him,” the leader said.

But, the leader continued, “that doesn’t mean everyone’s going to buy it,” and noted that many members of the community are unhappy with the vote. 

They  said the vote is particularly “not going to help” Ossoff among Jewish community members upset by his delay in commenting on the Iran war, “but those that were able to give him some grace that he finally said something — this will help them.”

Heller was more skeptical that Ossoff’s vote-splitting approach would satisfy anyone, saying he thinks the strategy won’t help Ossoff with supporters of Israel who don’t believe in stopping weapons shipments nor with opponents of Israel who believe in cutting off all aid to Israel.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, one of the most popular officials in the state, announced on Monday he will not challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) when he is up for reelection in 2026, dealing a blow to Senate Republicans, who were hoping his candidacy would have given Republicans an edge in a critical battleground.

Kemp said in a statement on Monday that he had “decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family.”

“I spoke with President Trump and Senate leadership earlier today and expressed my commitment to work alongside them to ensure we have a strong Republican nominee who can win next November, and ultimately be a conservative voice in the US Senate who will put hardworking Georgians first. I am confident we will be united in that important effort, and I look forward to electing the next generation of leaders up and down the ballot here in the Peach State who will keep our state and nation headed in the right direction in 2026 and beyond,” Kemp said. 

National Republicans and top Senate GOP leaders had been lobbying Kemp to consider challenging Ossoff for months, with a recent poll commissioned by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution showing Kemp with a narrow advantage over the Democratic senator.

Without Kemp in the race, the GOP nominee is more likely to appeal to the right-wing activists that play an outsized role in today’s Georgia Republican party. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has been mentioned as a possible candidate in the race. Other potential candidates include: Reps. Mike Collins (R-GA), Rich McCormick (R-GA) and Buddy Carter (R-GA), all of whom are among the most conservative lawmakers in the House.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a more moderate alternative, has also been mentioned as a potential candidate. 

Pro-Israel elements of the Democratic Party expressed an openness to backing Kemp over Ossoff, if the governor ran for the Senate. Ossoff’s vote last year to block military aid to Israel alienated many Jewish voters in the state, and the backlash played a role in his rejection of additional similar measures targeting the Jewish state when they came up for a vote last month. 

But Kemp’s decision not to run could help push skeptical Jewish Democrats and independents back toward Ossoff’s column, especially if the Democratic senator works more closely with the Jewish community in the state, which is strongly supportive of Israel.   

A spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said in a statement: “Brian Kemp’s decision to not run for Senate in 2026 is yet another embarrassing Republican Senate recruitment failure as they face a building midterm backlash where every GOP candidate will be forced to answer for Trump’s harmful agenda.”

Jewish Insider’s senior congressional correspondent Marc Rod contributed to this report.

Jewish leaders in Georgia say that Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-GA) reversal in early April on efforts to block U.S. aid to Israel marks an important step toward repairing relations with the Jewish community, but several said that he’ll need to do more and show he’ll remain on that track going forward to regain their trust.

Ossoff’s votes last November in favor of resolutions led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) attempting to block arms sales to Israel shocked and frustrated Jewish Democrats in Georgia, who could help tip what might be a razor-thin margin of victory in Ossoff’s 2026 reelection campaign. The November votes prompted condemnation from a coalition of 50 Jewish organizations in Georgia and led a group of Democratic donors to offer to support Republican Gov. Brian Kemp if he runs for the seat.

Norman Radow, a major Democratic donor in Georgia, told Jewish Insider that Ossoff’s April votes against anti-Israel resolutions again brought by Sanders, are “helpful. I think we want that to continue.” But he noted that Ossoff had not apologized for his previous votes and comments. He said he appreciated Ossoff’s latest votes and comments, but said he wanted to see them become part of a consistent pattern, rather than a momentary shift.

“My fear is that that’s the real Jon, and that our political pressure and his running for reelection has temporarily moved him towards our position,” Radow continued. “I’m hoping that he recognizes the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and that he will not only support us, but he’ll become a champion for the U.S.-Israel relationship and the Jewish community. That’s my hope.”

David Lubin, a former Democratic state Senate candidate, said that Ossoff’s latest votes were “exactly what we wanted to see happen.” He noted that Ossoff had also recently attended a play at a local Jewish day school, describing his attendance as an additional sign that Ossoff understands the frustration within the Jewish community and realizes that he has work to do.

“The healing process — I think it will take more for a lot of people,” Lubin continued. “I think it’s hard for people to explain why he voted that way, which makes it difficult for Democrats when you’re talking to people that are on the fence on who to vote for … The healing part is going to be tough, I think, for people that put Israel as one of their top priorities.”

Aaron Goldman, another Democratic Georgia donor, said that Ossoff had heard and responded to the widespread outcry from the Jewish community following the November votes and deserved thanks for his pivot. Goldman added that he wanted to see it followed by similar votes and actions, and called on Ossoff to remain communicative with and available to the Jewish community ahead of consequential votes on Israel, as well as to be more vocal in support of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

“Our door is open. We are here to work with him collaboratively, to support the U.S.-Israel relationship, which has historically been a strong Democratic value,” Goldman said.

Dov Wilker, the regional director of the American Jewish Committee in Atlanta, which was a lead signatory to the organizational letter, told JI, “We’re pleased with the direction of the senator’s votes and hope that his continued engagement with the Jewish community on behalf of the hostages, in support of Israel will continue.”

Cheryl Dorchinsky, the founder of Atlanta Israel Coalition, a grassroots pro-Israel nonprofit that signed the letter from local pro-Israel groups, told JI that she was “thrilled [Ossoff] changed his stance” which was “truly a sign that he was listening.” Dorchinsky declined to say whether she had supported Ossoff previously and said she does not associate with either political party.

“I think he has more to do,” Dorchinsky continued. “Now it’s about seeing how he votes and how he acts from that point moving forward. I applaud him for changing his stance … [but] it’s like if you kick someone, the pain doesn’t just go away. You wait, you heal, and you hope for the best.”

Dov Wilker, the regional director of the American Jewish Committee in Atlanta, which was a lead signatory to the organizational letter, told JI, “We’re pleased with the direction of the senator’s votes and hope that his continued engagement with the Jewish community on behalf of the hostages, in support of Israel will continue.”

Others in the community believe that Ossoff has addressed their concerns.

Lori Kagan Schwarz, a former board co-chair and current trustee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, said she was “hugely disappointed and upset” by Ossoff’s votes in November. But she said his public advocacy against the similar resolutions in April had helped address her concerns, along with direct engagement with his staff. She said she believes that Ossoff was “surprised” by the level of outcry from Democratic Jews following the November votes. 

Kagan Schwarz said that many Jewish Georgians she knows “were so upset by his vote in November, and even before he voted against the most recent resolution, they were encouraged by his outreach, by his words and actions.”

She added that supporters of Israel should and will continue to advocate to Ossoff, as they do with all elected leaders. “I’m not concerned at all, but I’m vigilant in terms of my advocacy and my deep concern for Israel.”

Both Goldman and Radow emphasized that it was not only Ossoff’s votes but also his floor speech in favor of the Sanders resolutions, in which Ossoff said Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza had been “gratuitously brutal” and that it had shown “reckless disregard for the innocent,” that they and others had found particularly objectionable.

“Last November, Senator Ossoff was wrong to vote with Bernie Sanders to jeopardize Israel’s security as it fights a seven-front war against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists,” AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann said. “His recent vote was a notable step to rectify his previous mistake.”

Ossoff said following the April votes that he felt the new resolutions “would have been damaging” and that all focus should be on restoring a ceasefire and freeing the remaining hostages.

AIPAC was one of the lead signatories on the Jewish organizational letter. AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann told JI that the April vote had been a step to correct Ossoff’s past moves.

“Last November, Senator Ossoff was wrong to vote with Bernie Sanders to jeopardize Israel’s security as it fights a seven-front war against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists,” Wittmann said. “His recent vote was a notable step to rectify his previous mistake.”

There are some members of the Jewish community who supported Ossoff’s initial votes.

“Many of us in the Jewish community feel like it’s reasonable to want to see an end to the killing of innocent people and of course a return of the hostages,” Jodi Greenwald, a Jewish Ossoff supporter, told JI. “Jon Ossoff has supported Israel in so many ways and so many votes, and I think he’s just going with a reasonable approach to minimize the damage of loss of innocent life. I personally was not upset by that. I certainly did not interpret it as an abandonment of his support for Israel.”

Greenwald told JI that she felt the letter from 50 Jewish organizations criticizing Ossoff misrepresented the level of support for those views among the members of those institutions. 

Lubin, the former state Senate candidate, said that for some in the community, frustrations with Ossoff were not limited to the Sanders votes, but rather reflected a broader sense that he was not standing with members of the Jewish community, even at a time of rampant antisemitism. Lubin said he’s concerned that Ossoff’s November votes were reflective of a larger and deeper pattern than just a few votes. Other previous Ossoff supporters echoed that view.

Kagan Schwarz disagreed that there has been a broader pattern of concern with Ossoff. “It never occurred to me that he was not hugely a proponent against antisemitism.”

She added that supporters of Israel “have to be a little accepting of people expressing concern about Israel’s leadership, especially right now.” She argued that such criticisms don’t mean that someone is not a supporter of Israel. “I love Israel and want to do everything I can to protect and preserve her. But it doesn’t mean that I love Israel’s government.

Radow said that Ossoff, after the November votes, avoided his and other longtime, major Jewish supporters’ outreach for months, until a February New York Times article highlighted Jewish donors interested in supporting a Kemp campaign.

Ossoff subsequently sat down with a group of around 50 Jewish leaders from Georgia, including Radow, at an AIPAC conference in Washington in February, where the Jewish leaders confronted him about his past votes and urged him to commit to supporting a series of three priority legislative initiatives.

Radow said that Ossoff, at the meeting, was not willing to commit to any of the three, including voting against further Sanders resolutions; however, Ossoff did so days after the meeting. He said Ossoff had tried to avoid discussing his past remarks and votes and told the leaders that they would have to agree to disagree, but the Jewish leaders pushed back.

“Jon is not out of the woodshed but he did come and meet with 50 of us. He spent an hour. He did meet with me privately for 45 minutes. He has voted for us on three important pieces of legislation since then,” Norman Radow, a major Democratic donor in Georgia, said. “I hope that that relationship can continue to build and we can reestablish trust.”

“What surprised me was, he’s coming to that audience, he was not prepared then to say he’d participate [in] or support any of the three,” Radow said. “It took him days, and all these issues were out there. He’d been contacted in advance. All this legislation was on his desk, and he hadn’t prepared for it.”

Radow also met privately with Ossoff following the AIPAC sit-down, where he said they had an “honest” and “forthright” discussion and “made progress.”

“Jon is not out of the woodshed but he did come and meet with 50 of us. He spent an hour. He did meet with me privately for 45 minutes. He has voted for us on three important pieces of legislation since then,” Radow said. “I hope that that relationship can continue to build and we can reestablish trust.”

Ossoff’s deputy chief of staff met separately with at least two groups of Jewish Democratic female leaders in Georgia, including Kagan Schwarz, in late March. The meetings were organized in collaboration with members of the Jewish Democratic Women’s Salon.

Kagan Schwarz said that Ossoff’s staffer told the group that Ossoff had heard the feedback from the Jewish community and wanted to keep an open conversation with community members. She said that the Ossoff staffer was open to discussing all of their concerns and explaining Ossoff’s November votes and why his positions had shifted since then.

She added that Ossoff’s staffer also highlighted other actions he’d taken in support of Jewish community priorities, like numerous meetings with hostage families and working with law enforcement to ensure adequate security for the Jewish community following Oct. 7 — reassuring actions Kagan Schwarz said Ossoff’s office should have better publicized.

Lubin said that, to rebuild bridges with those hurt by his past actions, Ossoff will need to continue to be present in the Jewish community, reach out to Jewish leaders and “make it clear that he is supporting Israel” and that he fully grasps the significance of the fight that Israel is facing. “It seems like there’s some disconnect with him, in regards to that,” Lubin said.

Going forward, Dorchinsky called on Ossoff to be more active in fighting antisemitism.

“Stand up for us. We are part of this community,” Dorchinsky said. “It’s not just impacting us, it impacts everyone … Our representatives are responsible for protecting their communities, regardless of religion.”

Radow, who signed the letter to Kemp encouraging him to run against Ossoff, said that he hasn’t yet made a decision on who he’ll support in 2026.

“It would be imprudent of me to say I would support Jon, not support Jon, until, A, I see how Jon continues to act in the next 18 months and, two, who the Republicans put up,” Radow said. “If it’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, I think the decision is clear.”

Goldman, who also signed onto the letter expressing support for Kemp, said that letter “reflected the frustration and the disappointment” in the community.

But Goldman noted that Kemp appears unlikely to run and that Ossoff “has shown his willingness to listen and deliberate and make a vote more reflective of not only his Jewish constituencies, but Georgia voters as a whole, and where they are on Israel … A continuation in that trend, as we’ve discussed, would be very comforting to Jewish Democrats in general.”

Lubin said he can’t yet speak firmly to how he will vote in 2026, given the many unknowns between now and the election, though he’s currently inclined to vote for Ossoff.

“There is concern to see that if we get closer, and other things do come up and he wavers too much, I think a lot of people will be looking at who to vote for,” Lubin said. “I can’t tell you where I’m going to vote in a couple of years from now.”

Lubin added that Ossoff’s April votes and outreach to the Jewish community will help some Democrats who were previously on the fence feel better about voting for him. He agreed that if Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) becomes the Republican nominee, many otherwise undecided Democratic Jews will likely line up behind Ossoff.

“I think that folks who are abandoning support for a Georgia senator based on just one vote about one element of support to Israel and willing to throw everything else good that he does and supports and is for away in our representation in the Senate — I think that’s not in the interests of our lives as Georgians,” Jodi Greenwald, a Jewish Ossoff supporter, said. “He’s been a friend to the people of Georgia regardless of their faith.”

If the GOP nominee is someone like Rep. Buddy Carter (D-GA), a supporter of the Jewish community, or Insurance Commissioner John King, viewed as a moderate, that could raise a trickier dilemma for voters than an Ossoff-Greene race, one individual familiar with the situation noted. Jewish Democratic voters may also be faced with questions of how and whether to vote tactically in the primaries — to vote in next year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary or the GOP Senate primary.

Kagan Schwarz, an Ossoff supporter, said that Israel is one of her top issues, but she wants to see the candidates she supports be strong “on all my key issues, not just one,” and described Ossoff as the clear choice. She said she was “very disappointed” by the letter from Jewish donors to Kemp and would not have signed it — though she said she does not “begrudge” the signatories and said it “might have been a wake-up call” for Ossoff.

“I think that folks who are abandoning support for a Georgia senator based on just one vote about one element of support to Israel and willing to throw everything else good that he does and supports and is for away in our representation in the Senate — I think that’s not in the interests of our lives as Georgians,” Greenwald said. “He’s been a friend to the people of Georgia regardless of their faith.”

Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) has strong words against antisemitism. 

“Antisemitism has no place in society, period,” he told Jewish Insider in a candidate questionnaire. “It’s horrifying any time you see hate perpetrated against Jewish people in the United States or anywhere around the world.”

Despite his emphatic beliefs, Perdue’s opponent in Georgia’s upcoming Senate election, former journalist Jon Ossoff — who is Jewish — has argued that Perdue himself has recently perpetrated antisemitic hatred. 

In late July, Perdue’s campaign tactics came under scrutiny when the first-term Republican senator published a Facebook ad that enlarged Ossoff’s nose — a classic antisemitic stereotype. A spokesman for Perdue told The Forward, which first reported on the image, that the edit was “accidental” and the ad would be removed from the site. 

But Ossoff wasn’t buying it. “This is the oldest, most obvious, least original antisemitic trope in history,” the 33-year-old Democratic candidate wrote in a Twitter statement when the ad was publicized by national media outlets. “Senator, literally no one believes your excuses.”

(Read the complete Perdue and Ossoff questionnaires, along with many others on JI’s interactive election map.)

Perdue did not mention the ad in his responses to the JI questionnaire, which includes a question asking candidates whether they believe there is a concerning rise of antisemitism, including in their own party.  

“I’ve been a friend of Israel and the Jewish community since I was very young,” the senator averred. “Since I got to the U.S. Senate, I’ve made fighting antisemitism and all forms of bigotry a top priority. Unfortunately, we saw this issue at the forefront in 2017 after a string of bomb threats at Jewish Community Centers across the country. That was unacceptable, and I worked with national security officials in the Trump administration to make sure there would be a long-term strategy to protect these JCCs and other places of worship.”

For his part, Ossoff also chose to not directly address Perdue’s controversial ad in responding to JI’s questionnaire, despite his previous caustic statement directed at the incumbent. 

“Sectarianism and racism often increase at moments of great social, economic, and political stress — especially when dangerous political demagogues like Donald Trump deliberately inflame mistrust, resentment, and hatred to gain power,” Ossoff told JI. “Racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia have increased in America as President Trump has deliberately pitted Americans against Americans, stirring up conflict within our society rather than uniting us to move forward together as one people.”

But Ossoff’s answer could also have been regarded as an implicit critique of Perdue’s reelection tactics. “I learned about public and political leadership from my mentor, Congressman John Lewis, who taught me to focus on our shared humanity above our racial, religious and cultural differences,” Ossoff continued, referring to the Georgia representative and civil rights leader who endorsed Ossoff before his death on July 17. 

“My state, our country and all humanity will only achieve our full potential and build the Beloved Community [a term coined by Lewis] by recognizing that we are all in this together, that our interests are aligned and that hatred, prejudice and discrimination only hold us back.”

Despite the tension between the two candidates, both emphasized their support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

“Any peace deal should protect the political freedom and human rights of all people in the region and ensure Israel’s security as a homeland for the Jewish people without threat of terrorism or invasion,” Ossoff declared. “The aim of the peace process should be secure and peaceful coexistence, political freedom and prosperity for people of all faiths and nationalities in the Middle East.”

“Obviously there is no simple fix but a two-state solution would be the best outcome for both sides,” Perdue told JI. “However, that won’t happen unless the Palestinians are willing to come to the table, negotiate in good faith and cut ties with terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. The Palestinian Authority has to end their practice of providing stipends for known terrorists. It’s ridiculous and the reason I support the Taylor Force Act. We’ve got to make sure the United States isn’t sending foreign aid until these payments end. Israel has made it clear that they are open to living in peace with the Palestinians. You’ve seen a willingness by Israel to begin negotiations. The Palestinians must do the same in order to solve this issue.”

Perdue and Ossoff also both expressed their commitment to ensuring that Israel maintains its security edge in the Middle East. 

“The special relationship between the U.S. and Israel is deeply rooted and strategically important to both countries, but it cannot be taken for granted,” Ossoff told JI. “Security cooperation, trade and cultural ties enrich and strengthen both countries. The U.S. Congress, with strong bipartisan support, should play an essential role in maintaining and strengthening healthy and open relations between the U.S. and Israel.”

“The U.S.-Israel relationship is both special and strategic,” Perdue said, while noting that his first foreign trip as a senator was to Israel. “It is special because we share the common values of freedom and democracy, and it’s strategic because Israel is America’s strongest ally in the Middle East.”

“President Trump has shown that Israel is and will continue to be a priority,” Perdue added. “By moving our U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, the president recognized the historic and modern reality that Jerusalem is the center for the Jewish people and all parts of Israeli government. Jerusalem is unquestionably Israel’s capital.”

Still, Perdue and Ossoff differ when it comes to the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

Perdue supports Trump’s decision to pull out of the agreement. “President Obama’s Iran deal was an unmitigated disaster,” he told JI. “It’s very clear that the Obama-Biden Administration’s weak foreign policy only emboldened Iran and made the world less safe. Trusting Iran to change was not only naive, but it also created a national security risk for our ally Israel.”

Ossoff disagrees, with qualifications. “Nuclear weapons proliferation is one of the gravest threats to U.S. and world security,” he said. “I support robust efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons anywhere. An Iranian nuclear weapons capability would pose an existential threat to Israel and other U.S. allies and would pose a critical threat to U.S. national security.”

“I opposed the Trump administration’s unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA,” he added. “In the Senate, I will support U.S. participation in an agreement that prevents Iran from developing nuclear weapons, whether based on the JCPOA, another multilateral agreement or a desperately needed new global nuclear arms reduction and nonproliferation treaty.”

Ossoff, who narrowly lost a 2017 congressional bid, is hoping he can best Perdue in November’s election as the Democrats are strategizing to flip the Senate. The Cook Political Report has rated the race a “toss-up.”

Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) have joined more than two dozen Senate Democrats publicly warning Israeli leaders of the implications of efforts to unilaterally annex portions of the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the government could start annexing territory as early as July 1.

In individual letters sent last month and made public over the weekend, both senators — Klobuchar addressed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Smith wrote to Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz — posited that annexation would undermine efforts to attain a two-state solution.

Twenty-eight senators have so far spoken out against the annexation proposal.

Last month, 19 Democratic senators sent a letter to Netanyahu and Gantz urging the Israeli leaders not to move forward with the effort. That letter, which was updated several times before being sent, cautioned the new Israeli government that “unilateral annexation puts both Israel’s security and democracy at risk” and “would have a clear impact on Israel’s future and our vital bilateral and bipartisan relationship.” Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Bob Casey (D-PA) sent individual communiques to Netanyahu and Gantz, similarly opposing the move, and Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) addressed the matter in individual letters to Pompeo. 

In addition, Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) issued statements against annexation, and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) indicated to Jewish Currents that instead of signing or authoring a letter on annexation, he would “communicate directly with [Israeli] Ambassador [Ron] Dermer and Israeli officials to express his concerns.” 

On Monday, eight Senate candidates in battleground states are expected to join the list expressing their strong opposition to such a move. In statements provided to J Street and shared with Jewish Insider, the candidates — Cal Cunningham (North Carolina), Sara Gideon (Maine), Teresa Greenfield (Iowa), Al Gross (Alaska), Jaime Harrison (South Carolina), MJ Hegar (Texas), John Hickenlooper (Colorado), Amy McGrath (Kentucky) and Jon Ossoff (Georgia) — emphasized that annexation would put the future of a two-state solution at risk. 

Read their statements in full here.

Earlier this month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) warned that unilateral annexation “puts the future [of peace] at risk and undermines our national security interest and decades of bipartisan policy.” Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden also came out against annexation, saying it “will choke off any hope for peace.”

“From the presidential nominee to the speaker of the House and from the Senate to the senatorial campaign trail, Democratic leaders have now made absolutely clear that they do not and cannot support unilateral annexation in the West Bank,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami told JI. “For annexation to move forward in the face of this overwhelming opposition would be incredibly harmful to the future of Israelis and Palestinians and to the US-Israel relationship.”