Wiesenthal Center Denounces Democratic Ad

An ad released by the Jewish Democratic Council of America, in which US President Donald Trump’s remarks are compared to those used in Nazi propaganda, caught flak on Tuesday as the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center denounced the spot as cheapening the uniqueness and horror of the Holocaust. “Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are fair game for loud and sustained criticism on their policies, language, and style,” the center said in a statement. “But invoking Nazi imagery not only slanders the victims of the Nazis [and] the candidate, but the tens of millions of Americans who support him. In 2020, anti-Semitism from the far-Right, far-Left and Islamists remains a real threat to American Jews. We need to demand of our candidates accountability on how they will combat it from all quarters.” In the 30 second Democratic ad, images of Nazi Germany are displayed alongside recent videos and photos of anti-Semitic incidents in the US and racist rallies held by white supremacists. A narrator is heard warning that “history shows us what happens when leaders use hatred and nationalism to divide their people…. Hate does not stop itself. It must be stopped. Vote.”