Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) condemned the “hyper-left online” for attacking Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro for his Jewish faith and support for Israel.
Shapiro, who is seen as a leading contender to be Kamala Harris’ running mate, was forced to defend his stance on Israel after an op-ed he wrote more than 30 years ago resurfaced over the weekend.
Harris’ support for Israel has been controversial within the Democratic Party, as the far-left wing of the party holds strong anti-Israel views. Opponents of her candidacy have launched the “No Genocide Josh” campaign and continue to pressure her to choose a different running mate.
During a Monday appearance on CNN, Auchincloss accused the party’s far-left wing of holding Shapiro to a different standard than other vice presidential candidates, and claimed there was a “strong streak of anti-Semitism” in their attacks.
Vice Presidential candidate Shapiro speaks out about defense of Israel after decades-old college newspaper report
Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (L) hold a press conference during a stop at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Ryan Collard/AFP via Getty Images)
Comedian Michael Rapaport said Harris lost the vote to Israel: “I can’t support a party that supports these idiots.”
“The far-left online are attacking Josh Shapiro’s pro-Israel positions in a different way than they would attack the positions of a non-Jewish vice presidential candidate, but they’re just indicting themselves,” Auchincloss, who is Jewish, told “CNN This Morning.”
“There’s a strong streak of anti-Semitism there,” he continued, “and that’s unacceptable. Every candidate’s positions on policy issues, their record in elected office, all of that is fair game. Harris will rightly be subject to questioning and questioning by her campaign and observers, but to hold him to a different standard because of his religion is not who we are as a Democratic Party.”
Auchincloss is not the only Jewish Democrat to say that he believes the criticism of Shapiro is unfair and that Jewish politicians cannot be objective about Israel.
Congressman Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) He told Axios“I think there’s a sense that we’re not objective. [on Israel] “We are being protested because we are Jewish, but that is not true or fair. There are many members of the pro-Israel community who are being targeted by protests. As Jews, I feel this especially intensely and personally.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
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Written by Shapiro as a 20-year-old college student, the op-ed detailed his experiences volunteering at an IDF base during his high school years and included his belief that “Palestinians will not coexist peacefully together” because “they do not have the capacity to build and succeed in building their own homeland, even with Israeli and American help.”
Manuel Bondar, a spokesman for Governor Shapiro, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Since writing that article as a 20-year-old student, Governor Shapiro has developed close, meaningful and rewarding relationships with many Muslim, Arab American, Palestinian Christian and Jewish community leaders across Pennsylvania.”
“The governor really values their perspective and the experience they’ve learned over the years, and as a result, as with many issues, His views on the Middle East “That evolved into where we are today,” Bondar continued.
Bondar rejected the idea that the newspaper’s op-ed, written decades ago, is indicative of the governor’s current thinking on Israel.
“As the Governor has made clear over the years, Two-State Solution “There needs to be a place where Israelis and Palestinians can coexist peacefully, and he believes it is vital that leaders on both sides of the conflict take meaningful and necessary steps towards a lasting peace,” Bondar stressed.
Josh Shapiro speaks during his swearing-in ceremony as Governor of Pennsylvania at the State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on January 17, 2023. Shapiro defeated Republican candidate Doug Mastriano by about 15 percentage points in the November election. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images) (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
“Governor Shapiro has worked hard to bring people together, to listen, to keep our communities safe and to make our voices heard, and he will always be a governor for all Pennsylvanians,” Bondar added.
Shapiro has taken a tough stance against anti-Semitism since the Oct. 7 massacre sparked protests on college campuses across the country. When members of the Philadelphia Palestine Coalition protested in front of Israeli-owned stores in December, Shapiro rebuked them for “a blatant act of anti-Semitic behavior, not a peaceful protest.”
“This hatred and bigotry harkens back to dark times in history,” he wrote to X at the time.
He also acknowledged the rising death toll in Gaza but supported Israel’s right to defend itself.”
“We cannot forget the origins of this incident, but we cannot ignore the death and destruction that has occurred in Gaza,” he said. He told The Washington Post March.
He also called for the removal of student camps from the University of Pennsylvania and supported legislation that would impose financial sanctions on universities that boycott or divest from Israel. WHYY reported.
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Harris is scheduled to announce her running mate at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
