Slain Israeli soldier’s father challenges Georgia Democratic lawmaker

The father of a Dunwoody woman who was killed in November while serving as a police officer in the Israeli army is challenging a Democratic lawmaker who abstained from voting on a measure aimed at combating antisemitism.

David Lubin told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he decided to run against Democratic state Sen. Sally Harrell in the party’s May primary after she criticized the antisemitism measure and then didn’t vote on it.

“She showed who she was that day by not voting for the bill. She’s not representing her constituents,” said Lubin, a Democrat. “It’s hard to go to bed at night and think that our senator didn’t support tougher hate crime laws.”

Lubin’s 20-year-old daughter, Sgt. Rose Ida Lubin, was killed during a knife attack near the Old City of Jerusalem while on duty as a police officer with the Israeli Defense Forces shortly after the Israel-Hamas war erupted.

Credit: Friends of the Israel Defense Forces

Credit: Friends of the Israel Defense Forces

After his daughter’s death, David Lubin became deeply involved in urging lawmakers to pass House Bill 30, which defines antisemitism as part of the state’s hate crimes law.

He said he pressed Harrell to back the measure when she invited his family to be recognized by the Legislature earlier this year, and that her abstention underscored how “disconnected” she is from her constituents.”

Gov. Brian Kemp signed the measure into law in January after both chambers passed it with overwhelming bipartisan support.

But it was no simple legislative fight. The measure faced criticism from opponents who worried it would curtail free speech rights or censor criticism of Israel. It took intense lobbying, including from prominent Jewish and evangelical leaders, to push it across the finish line.

Harrell, who represents a Dunwoody-based district with a significant Jewish population, surprised backers of the measure when she invoked the younger Lubin’s death and expressed criticism of the measure before sidestepping a vote.

She said in an interview that if lawmakers were to define antisemitism, then other groups that experience hatred, such as Muslims who face Islamophobia, should also receive added legal protections.

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

“I think if we had both at the same time, both groups would have felt heard, and it would have decreased the amount of hate,” Harrell said of the measure, which passed the Senate 44-6.

Harrell was elected in 2018 amid a wave of Democratic gains in the suburbs, and she’s easily staved off challengers since then. She’ll enter the primary with incumbency status and a financial edge. Campaign finance records show Harrell amassed about $265,000 — a considerable amount for a state legislator.

“Primaries allow for substantive discussions on important issues and make for better candidates,” Harrell said. “I look forward to completing the current legislative session so I can spend more time in conversation with the people of Senate (District) 40.”

Lubin, a construction executive, enters what’s expected to be a low-turnout race with advantages of his own, including an endorsement from state Rep. Esther Panitch, the only Jewish member of the state Legislature.

Panitch, who co-sponsored the antisemitism law, called Lubin a “man of great integrity and resilience who now has a platform to help others.”

“He is a moderate Democrat and would be a great, stable representative of this Senate district,” Panitch said.

Lubin acknowledged he faces long odds challenging an incumbent in a primary. But he said in an interview it was a fight he couldn’t shirk.

“When Rose died, I woke up and said that I have to learn from my daughter. She was never afraid to take risks. I know I have to take risks and I have to serve, like she did,” he said. “I can’t sit idly by anymore.”