--- title: SR 302. Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr302 cite_as: SR 302, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr302 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr302.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr302/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70960 date: 2025-02-28 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12 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/sr301.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr303.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr302.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 302 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-28 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Nan Orrock - Elena Parent - Harold Jones - Kim Jackson - Sonya Halpern - Jason Esteves - Emanuel Jones - Josh McLaurin - Kenya Wicks - Gail Davenport - Tonya Anderson - Sally Harrell - Brian Strickland - Bo Hatchett - Blake Tillery - RaShaun Kemp - Ed Setzler - Max Burns - David Lucas - Sheikh Rahman - Donzella James - Randal Mangham - Michael Rhett text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR302/2025 upstream_id: 1987840 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - memorial resolution - Georgia Senate - Atlanta history - interfaith relations - civil rights --- # SR 302. Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman; condolences ## Text Senate Resolution 302 By: Senators Orrock of the 36th, Parent of the 44th, Jones II of the 22nd, Jackson of the 41st, Halpern of the 39th and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman; and WHEREAS, Rabbi Sugarman was born in Atlanta, Georgia, a beloved son of Helene Marx Sugarman and Meyer Louis Sugarman; and WHEREAS, a graduate of Emory University, he earned his ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and served as assistant rabbi at The Temple in 1971, later becoming senior rabbi in 1974 and rabbi emeritus in 2004; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and devoted leader, Rabbi Sugarman was instrumental in fostering interfaith dialogue, strengthening bonds between Atlanta's diverse religious communities, and the creation of Interfaith Atlanta, which promotes understanding, respect, and cooperation among different faith traditions; and WHEREAS, he was a champion for social justice who worked alongside civil rights leaders, including the late Congressman John Lewis, to co-found the Atlanta Black Jewish Coalition and advocate for the renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1982; and WHEREAS, he further worked to support his community through the establishment of homeless shelters, including a shelter for homeless couples at The Temple and another for homeless mothers and newborns in collaboration with Reverend Joanna Adams; and WHEREAS, Rabbi Sugarman was a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, performing one of the first same-sex weddings in Georgia, and he continuously fought for equality and inclusivity throughout his career; and WHEREAS, he was united in love and marriage to his wife of 58 years, Barbara, and was blessed with two remarkable children, Lanie and Leah; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman will long be remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing him. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the family of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman. ## 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 Georgia Senate resolution honors the life of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman of Atlanta, a longtime leader of The Temple who worked on interfaith relations, civil rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a formal tribute from the Georgia Senate marking the death of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman. It recounts his life story: born in Atlanta, educated at Emory University and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and his decades of service at The Temple, where he became senior rabbi in 1974 and rabbi emeritus in 2004. The resolution describes his work founding Interfaith Atlanta, co-founding the Atlanta Black Jewish Coalition with Congressman John Lewis, advocating for the Voting Rights Act, establishing homeless shelters, and performing early same-sex weddings in Georgia. The Senate resolves to honor his memory and express condolences, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to his family. ### What it does - Formally expresses the Georgia Senate's condolences on the death of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman. - Recounts his career at The Temple in Atlanta, from assistant rabbi in 1971 to rabbi emeritus in 2004. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for delivery to his family. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement, as is typical for a memorial resolution. ### Who it affects This resolution directly names the family of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman, who will receive a copy, and members of the Georgia Senate, who adopt it as an official statement. It has no regulatory effect on the public. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or regulatory effect on Georgians; its significance is symbolic, formally recording the Georgia Senate's recognition of Rabbi Sugarman's decades of civic and religious leadership in Atlanta and offering condolences to his family. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses detail his education, his 33 years of service at The Temple, and his civic work including founding Interfaith Atlanta. - The first resolving clause states the Senate joins in honoring his memory and expresses regret at his passing. - The second resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to his family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-28) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-28) - Sponsors: Nan Orrock, Elena Parent, Harold Jones, Kim Jackson, Sonya Halpern, Jason Esteves, Emanuel Jones, Josh McLaurin, Kenya Wicks, Gail Davenport, Tonya Anderson, Sally Harrell, Brian Strickland, Bo Hatchett, Blake Tillery, RaShaun Kemp, Ed Setzler, Max Burns, David Lucas, Sheikh Rahman, Donzella James, Randal Mangham, Michael Rhett - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70960 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr302.md?full=1