ATLANTA — Daniel Fishbein and his family woke up Thursday to a troubling discovery. Dozens of antisemitic flyers littered his neighborhood around Durand Drive and Emory Circle. Fishbein said finding the flyers felt like a personal slight.
"It doesn't surprise me, unfortunately," Fishbein said. “It’s a difficult time for my whole family. My daughter lives in New York and is in the middle of (protests), and then my kids having to walk up toward Emory and hear what’s happening there. It’s not easy.”
The flyers were distributed less than a mile away from Emory University, where nearly 30 people were arrested during protests in support of Palestine and against the university's financial ties to Israel in the war in Gaza. DeKalb County Police said it was looking into the reports of the flyers being distributed.
Less than a mile from the struggle, the sweet smell of Ali's Cookies wafts through the shop. Owner Shablis Sagi is just trying to stay in business. He immigrated from Israel and opened the cookie shop two years ago. The shop has several stars of David inside. Sagi said since the beginning of the war in Gaza in October, his sales are down 40%.
Sagi said vandals splattered paint on his walls, and he has been sent hateful messages. He felt more could be done to hinder and penalize perpetrators. He said some people had also drawn Palestinian flags on paper that covers tables in his store out of disrespect for his livelihood. Sagi said students, especially Jewish students, were scared after protests broke out a week ago. He said he has given law enforcement and first responders free cookies throughout the protests.
"I feel very mad. There's no need for this to happen in 2024," Sagi said. "I'll stay open. We're strong. If people come or don't come, we're strong. We'll stay here."
Ryan Pelfrey, the associate regional director of the Anti-Defamation League Southeast Region, said the organization noted a 115% increase in antisemitic incidents in 2023 compared to the year before. Those include the multiple instances of antisemitic flyers being spread throughout Metro Atlanta.
A federal grand jury indicted a 31-year-old North Carolina man. He has been arrested and federally charged with one count of mailing threatening communications, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office Middle District of Georgia. The man is accused of mailing threatening messages to a Macon rabbi in February as well as Ali's Cookies and others. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
"This is an instance where we see these extremist organizations trying to take advantage of individuals practicing their First Amendment right," Pelfrey said. "We’ve actively, over the last year, been working on strategies with these impacted communities on municipal ordinances or local events. We’re working with impacted communities to push back on any kind of hate, whether it’s antisemitic or otherwise.”
In January, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed off on a bill defining antisemitism for the first time in state law. HB 30 previously stalled last year after a debate over its wording.
Fishbein said he's worried about instances of anti-Jewish hate persisting, especially as protests continue at college campuses across the country.
"I don't think it's going to get better. I think people hide behind First Amendment as if they're entitled to hate. I don't think that's the purpose of the First Amendment. The purpose of the First Amendment is to allow people to give their opinion but not to make people feel uncomfortable and threatened."
The U.S. Government is currently investigating Emory University for alleged anti-Muslim discrimination on campus. The federal education department is looking into claims outlined in a Title VI complaint filed at the beginning of the month. It was filed before the protests began and accuses Emory of fostering a hostile environment. An Emory University spokesperson said they had received the complaint but would not comment further on the open investigation.