From the Bench to Israel

September 4, 2026

When Judge Samir Patel boarded a plane for Israel, he was heading somewhere he had never expected to visit. 

“Nor would I ever even have considered going to Israel, but for this trip,” said Judge Patel, Superior Court Judge for the Cherokee Judicial Circuit, serving Bartow and Gordon Counties. 

This month, Samir joined 12 other senior Georgia legal professionals for a Legal Delegation to Israel organized and funded by the Consulate General of Israel. The deliberately diverse group included judges, attorneys and legal leaders from across Georgia. 

Hon. Stacey Hydrick, Director of Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Antisemitism Response Network, co-led the delegation with attorney Jeremy Berry. Stacey said the goal was not to tell participants what to think, but to give them an opportunity to experience Israel firsthand. 

“Come see our beautiful country and learn what’s really happening, and then you decide,” Stacey said. “Make your own decision now that you have this additional information.” 

Over four packed days, the group met with Israeli legal and government leaders, visited the Israeli Supreme Court and explored a legal system very different from their own. 

But some of the most powerful lessons happened outside meeting rooms. 

The delegation traveled to communities attacked on October 7 and met survivors at a kibbutz (communal settlement in Israel) and the Nova music festival site. 

For Samir, those visits made something he had largely encountered through news coverage suddenly human. 

“That in my head is the most emotional part of why we were there,” he said. 

The experience also gave him a perspective he says he could not have gained through media coverage alone. 

“Just seeing it on a personal level and seeing what the story is from the perspective of the people who live in the country, who deal with it on a day-to-day basis…it was quite educational,” Samir said. 

Stacey sees that firsthand exposure as especially important in her work confronting antisemitism. 

“I think one of the best ways to help fight antisemitism is to actually bring people to Israel,” she said. 

No participant was asked to advocate for Israel after returning home. They were invited to listen, ask difficult questions, and form their own conclusions. Samir says the experience changed his perspective while leaving him eager to continue learning and seeking other viewpoints. 

And the relationships did not stay in Israel. The delegation remains connected, sharing opportunities and already making plans to reconnect in Atlanta. 

Rich Walter, Federation’s Chief Impact Officer believes trips like these provided by Federation partners and Federation itself are critical opportunities to fighting antisemitism.” We are fighting a daily misinformation battle on social media and other public forums,” Rich says. “Any opportunity for people with influence to see Israel firsthand, better understand the reality of what is happening on the ground, including the daily threats that Israel encounters, the enormous needs in trauma recovery, and rebuilding economically and physically, is a net positive for both the Jewish community and the Greater Atlanta community.”  

For Samir, a country he never expected to visit is no longer quite so distant. 

“It was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had,” he said.