January 6, 2021 will be remembered for the violent assault on the seat of our democratic republic. But it will also be remembered for the profound symbolism, while our Capitol was ransacked by white supremacists, of the first Black and first Jewish Senators being elected to represent the state of Georgia.
Zioness extends our heartfelt congratulations to Senator-elect Reverend Raphael Warnock and Senator-elect Jon Ossoff. Seeing such a diverse coalition of activists mobilizing en masse in support of this profound Black-Jewish partnership is emotional and fulfilling, no matter one’s political affiliation.
We also want to say thank you, again, to the thousands of individuals across the country who participated in this election, from afar, and from across the political spectrum, to ensure maximum voter engagement, mobilization and enfranchisement. We want to thank the poll workers, legal protection teams, and vote counters who worked tirelessly to ensure a free and fair election, in the middle of a global pandemic, while the whole world was watching. That accomplishment, alone, is an extraordinary victory for American democracy.
We mostly want to celebrate the Black women and men who have worked tirelessly for years to protect the right of their community, and all communities of color, to vote in this country––a country which promises that fundamental right to each of its citizens, and a country which will not reach its magnificent potential until that right is fully realized.
There is much more work to do, and Zionesses around the country look forward to supporting the efforts of these remarkable Black women leaders. Zioness was thrilled to partner with #FairCount (founded by Stacey Abrams) and the #CenterforCommonGround for nonpartisan phone and text-banking, to ensure that Georgia voters from rural and historically disenfranchised communities had a plan to cast their ballots. Zioness organized the largest Fair Count partner event of the election cycle and reached more than 140,000 Georgia voters.
The state of Georgia was once the center of the Jim Crow South and the Confederacy, a place where Jews and Black people lived on the fringes of a racist, divided society––and where our communities were united in the fight against white supremacy and the fight for justice, progress and equity for all oppressed peoples. Reverend Warnock, raised in the Kingian tradition and holder of Rev. King’s pulpit, and Jon Ossoff, a mentee of the late, great Congressman John Lewis, are both committed to continuing that historic partnership. In this moment, we could not need such mutual allyship more deeply.
Senator-elect Ossoff is descended from Jewish immigrants and was raised among family who survived the Holocaust, and Reverend Warnock will be both first Black Senator from Georgia and the eleventh Black Senator in American history. This outcome in the Senate will also make Senator Chuck Schumer the first Jewish Senate Majority Leader. We celebrate the trailblazing nature of all of their leadership.
Both Senator-elect Warnock and Senator-elect Ossoff have made plain their commitment to working with (and being!) Zionist Jews to build strong, enduring coalitions for justice and equity in this country. Zioness activists and chapters across the country look forward to working them in the pursuit of the “Beloved Community” as envisioned by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. With their leadership, opportunities abound for the advancement of the progressive agenda in this country, and, after the division and fear that has characterized the American political paradigm for so long, we could not be more excited to put yesterday’s crisis behind us and think about the dawn of tomorrow.