Antisemitic ugliness makes its way to Cobb neighborhoods

In an ugly sign of the times, antisemitic flyers that have been showing up in other metro Atlanta communities have now found their way to the doorsteps of homes in the suburbs of Cobb.

Earlier this year, residents in Dunwoody subdivisions complained about a slew of antisemitic flyers thrown into their yards containing hateful tropes about the Jewish faith. Sandy Springs residents also reported finding the flyers in their yards. 

This time, residents of the Overlook at Marietta Country Club neighborhood found antisemitic flyers scattered on their driveways. The flyers are similar to those that a hate group has been scattering throughout north Fulton and Cobb counties.

The flyer reads, “Diversity means fewer white people.” It also included a link to a website filled with more than a dozen different antisemitic flyer designs disparaging Jewish people, blaming them for a variety of perceived social grievances, including immigration, pornography and abortion says the Anti-Defamation League. According to the ADL, the group behind the flyers is the Goyim Defense League, a small network of antisemitic provocateurs.

In 2022 alone, the ADL recorded more than 370 incidents of GDL flyers being spread in 43 different states, up from 74 incidents in 2021. The majority of incidents occurred in California, Florida, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois and New York.

The GDL website includes instructions telling supporters how to download and print out the flyers, how to protect the flyers from rain and wind, when and where to distribute them, and how to avoid legal trouble.

The Georgia General Assembly took up a measure during the 2023 legislative session which would establish as part of state law the definition of antisemitism used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. House Bill 30, sponsored by Rep. John Carson, R-northeast Cobb, passed the state House 136-22 but unfortunately, it stalled in the Senate.

Neighbors in the affected community have contacted their homeowner’s association and private security company to report the flyers. The Cobb County Police Department was also on site. Disgusted by the flyers, the neighborhood is asking residents to contact the police if they have any information that would be helpful in finding the perpetrators. Some from the community point to the anti-diversity flyer being distributed on Juneteenth.

The founder of the Jewish-Christian Discovery Center, Rabbi Albert Slomovitz of Congregation Etz Chaim is said he was saddened, but not intimidated by the incident. “These incidents provide an opportunity for all of us to come together and once again talk about the things that bind us together,” he said. “The flyers are a reminder that there is still much work to do to push back against prejudice and hatred. We’re going to press on and do what we can, just to make society more understanding, one of the other,” Slomovitz said.

When his community came under attack by these flyers, Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said, “The purpose of activities like this is to cause fear and to divide us. I stand with our Jewish community and all who face intolerance. I believe that love always conquers hate. Please be good to each other.”