COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Cobb County police have launched an investigation after an unidentified man shouted anti-Semitic slurs directed at a Jewish board member during Monday’s Cobb County Board of Elections meeting.
The election board was holding its monthly meeting when someone in the crowd shouted “Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler!”
The comments came just moments after a Cobb County resident criticized board member Jennifer Mosbacher, who is Jewish, for her decision to not stand during the Pledge of Allegiance.
Board Chair Tori Silas, who is not Jewish, was also offended by the comments and tried to identify the man in the crowd who made them.
“I’m sorry, we are going to stop this proceeding,” Silas said following the incident. “That is extremely unacceptable. I believe I saw who said it.”
“If you’re proud enough to say it out loud, stand behind whatever you said and remove yourself from the room now,” she added.
Mosbacher also tried to identify the man who refused to leave the public meeting.
“Excuse me. I’m a Jewish member of this board,” she shouted. “Who said that?”
Board members continued to ask the man to leave the room, but he when didn’t listen, the board voted 4-0-1 in favor of ending the meeting.
The only board member who abstained from the vote was Debbie Fisher.
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Channel 2 Action News reached out to Fisher to ask her why she decided to abstain from the vote. So far we have not received a response from her.
We also spoke with board member Stacy Efrat about the incident.
“Whether it’s anti-semitic remarks or racist remarks or any hateful remarks about any marginalized group is completely unacceptable,” said Efrat, who is also Jewish. “I’m very angry because I love our country. I love that we have freedom of speech, freedom of religion and that America is the melting pot, and I believe that we can disagree on policies, and politics, and have discussions and debates.”
Rabbi Dan Dorsch, of Congregation Etz Chaim, was not at the meeting but he watched the video after he started receiving calls from concerned community members.
“To hear that that was taking place and that there was antisemitism mixed in with a political site with a place of politics rub me the wrong way,” he said. “It made me feel very uncomfortable as a Jewish person living here.”
“We have got to remember that we all share this country and this space together and each and every one of us has a responsibility to speak out against hate,” he added. “When we see it, there needs to be no place for hate in our communities, especially in Cobb County. "
As of Tuesday afternoon, it remained unclear if the board would call another special meeting ahead of its Sept. 30 meeting.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Cobb County Police Department sent the following statement regarding the incident:
“There is an active investigation into the disruptive incident which occurred at last evening’s board of elections meeting,” according to the statement. “Additionally, efforts are still ongoing to identify the man involved. At this point, no charges have been filed.”
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