Georgia lawmakers join diplomatic trip to Israel

Caption

Rep. Esther Panitch (D-Sandy Springs) gives a speech against antisemitism on the House floor on Feb. 6, 2023. Panitch is the only Jewish state legislator in Georgia.

Credit: GPB's Lawmakers

Five Georgia state lawmakers are traveling to Israel this week as part of a bipartisan delegation organized by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

The group includes Rep. Brent Cox (R-Dawsonville, Sen. Russ Goodman (R-Cogdell), Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega), Rep. Esther Panitch (D-Sandy Springs), and Rep. Yasmin Neal (D-Jonesboro). 

They join about 250 legislators from across the U.S., representing all 50 states.

The Times of Israel newspaper referred to it as the largest group of elected officials to visit the country in a single trip.

Goodman, who represents Clinch County in South Georgia, said the trip is an opportunity to strengthen ties between Israel and the United States.

“They haven’t told me this specifically," Goodman said, "but I would imagine one of the reasons they’re putting this trip together is they want to be able to tell their side of the story and show people what’s going on there.” 

This won’t be Goodman’s first time in Israel. He was there with his mother on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a major attack on the country. He recalled being in Jerusalem during the violence.

“The airport in Tel Aviv was shut down due to Hamas rockets, and we explored at one point, trying to take a boat to Cyprus,"  Goodman said. "It was quite an experience, being at the Ambassador Hotel in Jerusalem and hearing machine gun fire from the balcony. Pretty surreal.”

The Georgia delegation’s schedule includes meetings with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.

Goodman co-chaired the Georgia-Israel Legislative Caucus with Panitch in 2023, which ultimately helped pass Georgia’s antisemitism bill in 2024.