When state Rep. Brent Cox first heard about the Nazi sympathizers who waved swastikas outside the Chabad of East Cobb over the weekend, the first thought he had was: “How could they do this to my synagogue?”
Cox is an evangelical Christian from the exurbs of north Atlanta and a member of one of the biggest megachurches in the region.
But he has forged a unique and lasting friendship with the congregation’s Orthodox rabbi, Ephraim Silverman, that has helped shape his views on antisemitism — and deepened his support for new anti-discrimination laws to protect Jewish people and other minority groups from hate crimes.
“They’re not just my friends,” Cox said as news sunk in about the neo-Nazi rally. “They’re my family.”
His bond with Silverman began nearly two decades ago when Cox cold-called the rabbi with an offer to donate and install a ventilation hood system for the synagogue’s kitchen expansion.
Silverman laughed and asked him whether he was sure — since it would be operating in a kosher kitchen, he would need two of them. Cox, a former high school football coach, quickly agreed.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
As their friendship grew, the two have traded questions about religion and philosophy with the understanding that no inquiry is off-limits.
Cox delved more deeply into Judaism and its history, and he began to celebrate the ancient Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with his family. When Cox’s father died, Silverman drove to his house to bring him comfort — and a loaf of challah.
In 2022, Cox won a newly created Georgia House seat and quickly began exploring ways to tie Israel closer to his Dawsonville-based district, including a cybersecurity program at the University of North Georgia. He traveled to Israel in August 2022 with other Georgia officials and plans to return this summer.
He has also emerged as one of the most vocal supporters of a measure that would make antisemitism part of Georgia’s hate crimes law.
Cox predicts the legislation, which stalled in the state Senate this year, will get new traction next year, judging by the horrified reactions of his colleagues to this weekend’s antisemitic rallies.
About a dozen members of a hate group waved Nazi flags outside a Macon synagogue and, a few hours later, the Chabad of Cobb. They spent about three hours in Cobb County — and drew universal condemnation from politicians, community leaders and others horrified by the blatant act of hate.
Since then, Silverman has heard from old friends such as Cox and a flood of others, from religious leaders to neighbors.
“What this event has told our community is that we are loved and respected,” the rabbi said. “These guys ironically have made us feel much more loved than we ever have before.”
As for Cox, he said he’ll lean on his friendship with the rabbi and continue to be a voice for the community in a Legislature with just one Jewish member: state Rep. Esther Panitch, a Democrat from Sandy Springs.
“He’s now become an advocate for Israel and Jewish causes,” Silverman said. “And I’ve encouraged him along the way. It’s divine providence that we have this relationship, so let’s use it for good things.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
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