Man accused of mailing antisemitic messages to Macon rabbi faces trial

A jury will decide whether antisemitic postcards sent by a North Carolina man to a Macon rabbi and an Atlanta lawmaker were threats that should be punished by a conviction.

Ariel Collazo Ramos, of High Point, North Carolina, appeared in federal court Monday afternoon after prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia accused him last year of mailing antisemitic messages to Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar of Temple Beth Israel and Georgia State Rep. Esther Panitch.

Both had been vocal about their support for House Bill 30, which recognizes antisemitism in Georgia, as Panitch was co-author of the bill and Bahar testified in support of it. A day after the law was passed, both Bahar and Panitch received postcards from Ramos, according to stipulated facts established by the government.

The postcards included a mention of purchasing a hydrogen cyanide gas called Zyklon B used by Nazis during the Holocaust, and appeared to offer a discount on the gas with additional reference to the Holocaust, court records say. During opening arguments Monday, Ramos’ attorney argued that “Zyklon B” was a candle sold by Ramos’ business.

The mailed material also included a sketch comparing Jewish people to rats, according to court records.

The postcard included a watermark for Patriot Candle Company, which investigators found to be connected to Ramos, who operated the business from his home, according to the stipulated facts. He sold candles, postcards and other products that depicted white nationalist themes, according to court records.

Postcards were ‘ragebait’

U.S. Attorney William Keyes, who is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government, argues that Bahar and Panitch were targeted after they had publicly spoken out against antisemitism.

Barry Debrow Jr., Ramos’ attorney, told the jurors that his client had used “ragebait” to draw attention to Patriot Candle Company, which was the business he operated in from his home in North Carolina, according to his opening statement.

Keyes argued the messages would make a reasonable person fear for their lives, but Debrow argued that Ramos couldn't carry the gas with him as it is illegal to have. Ramos said Zyklon B was the name of a candle that could be purchased on his website, and the code worked.

Both attorneys referenced Ramos’ rights to free speech under the First Amendment, but they want the jury to figure out whether the verbiage in the postcard is a protected right or a true threat.

If a jury convicts him, he could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.