--- title: HR 985. Makhlouf, Very Reverend Father George Shukri; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr985 cite_as: HR 985, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr985 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr985.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr985/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72113 date: 2025-04-04 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr984.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr986.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr985.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 985 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-04-04 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Ruwa Romman - El-Mahdi Holly - Spencer Frye - Samuel Park - Marvin Lim - Gabriel Sanchez text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR985/2025 upstream_id: 2021281 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - memorial resolution - Georgia House of Representatives - Palestinian history - religious leaders - Atlanta community --- # HR 985. Makhlouf, Very Reverend Father George Shukri; condolences ## Text 25 LC 129 0496 House Resolution 985 By: Representatives Romman of the 97th, Holly of the 116th, Frye of the 122nd, Park of the 107th, Lim of the 98th, and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of the Very Reverend Father George Shukri Makhlouf; and1 for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, Very Reverend Father George Shukri Makhlouf passed on December 21, 2024,3 at the age of 81; and4 WHEREAS, he was a beloved father, devoted servant of God, a lov ing husband, and a5 tireless advocate for peace and justice; and6 WHEREAS, Very Reverend Father George's life was defined by unwavering faith, boundless7 love, and selfless service; and 8 WHEREAS, he was born in Palestine and was one of 750,000 Palestinian Nakba survivors,9 enduring the hardships of being orphaned and expelled from his home in West Jerusalem to10 Jifna in 1948; and 11 WHEREAS, Very Reverend Father George found refuge in the church and prayer,12 completing his theological studies at a Catholic seminary in Paris; and13 H. R. 985 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0496 WHEREAS, he began his professional journey as an educator at the Greek Catholic School14 of Our Lady of Annunciation in Ramallah, Palestine, and later a t the Ramallah Friends15 School; and 16 WHEREAS, in 1985, he answered the call to priesthood and was ordained in the Church of17 the Holy Sepulcher; and18 WHEREAS, Very Reverend Father George served faithfully at the O rthodox Church in19 Ramallah before immigrating to the United States, where he beca me pastor of the Virgin20 Mary Church in Yonkers, New York, and later served at St. John Orthodox Church on Long21 Island; and22 WHEREAS, in his later years, he continued his ministry as an ad junct retired priest at St.23 Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church in Atlanta, Georgia; and 24 WHEREAS, his wisdom, humility, and kindness touched countless l ives throughout his25 ministry; and26 WHEREAS, he dedicated his life to pastoral duties and to advocacy for justice and peace in27 his homeland, Palestine; and 28 WHEREAS, he represented Palestine on both local and international platforms, participating29 in numerous political and interfaith conferences; collaborating with political leaders, rabbis,30 imams, and religious figures of all faiths; and tirelessly rais ed his voice for the oppressed;31 and 32 H. R. 985 - 2 - 25 LC 129 0496 WHEREAS, his commitment to justice, equality, and the dignity o f all people formed the33 cornerstone of his legacy; and 34 WHEREAS, Very Reverend Father George is survived by his two sons, Shukri and Majeed;35 his brother, Joseph; his cherished nephews and nieces; and his seven beloved granddaughters,36 Raina, Isabella, Zaina, Arianna, Laila, Natalia, and Noelie, wh o brought light to his later37 years.38 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES the39 members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of th e Very Reverend Father40 George Shukri Makhlouf and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing.41 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized42 and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution avai lable for distribution to the43 public and the press.44 H. R. 985 - 3 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A House resolution honors the life of Very Reverend Father George Shukri Makhlouf, a Palestinian-born Orthodox priest who served congregations in New York and Atlanta, following his death in December 2024. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a memorial passed by the Georgia House of Representatives honoring Very Reverend Father George Shukri Makhlouf, who died on December 21, 2024, at age 81. It recounts his life story: born in Palestine, displaced as a child during the 1948 Nakba, educated in Paris, ordained a priest in 1985, and later serving churches in New York before becoming an adjunct retired priest at St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church in Atlanta. The resolution formally states that House members join in honoring his memory and expressing their regret at his passing. It also directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and the press. The resolution does not change any law; it is a ceremonial statement of tribute. ### What it does - Formally expresses the House of Representatives' regret at the death of Very Reverend Father George Shukri Makhlouf and honors his life and memory. - Recites biographical details of his life, including his background as a Palestinian Nakba survivor and his decades of religious service. - Directs the Clerk of the House to prepare copies of the resolution for distribution to the public and the press. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulation, since it is a ceremonial resolution rather than a bill. ### Who it affects The resolution directly concerns the family and community of Very Reverend Father George Shukri Makhlouf, including his sons, brother, nephews, nieces, and granddaughters, as well as the congregations he served, including St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church in Atlanta. ### Why it matters While the resolution has no legal or regulatory effect, it gives official public recognition from the Georgia House of Representatives to Father Makhlouf's decades of religious and humanitarian work, and it creates a permanent public record of his life for his family and community. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses detail his birth in Palestine, displacement during the 1948 Nakba, theological education in Paris, and 1985 ordination as a priest. - The whereas clauses describe his ministry work in Ramallah, Yonkers, Long Island, and finally Atlanta, Georgia. - The resolved clause states the House's official recognition of his life and expression of regret at his death. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-04) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Ruwa Romman, El-Mahdi Holly, Spencer Frye, Samuel Park, Marvin Lim, Gabriel Sanchez - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72113 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr985.md?full=1