The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has escalated its attacks against “Squad” House Democrat Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), airing an ad that includes the son of famed Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel.
In the ad, which urges voters to vote in New York‘s June 25 primary, Elisha Wiesel claimed that Bowman’s criticism of Israel could lead to a situation like the one his father fled. The video started out lamenting Hamas’s Oct. 7 surprise attack against Israel, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed in just a few hours.
“Now we must ask who each of us are in this moment,” Wiesel said. “Who are the anti-Semites engaged in falsely accusing Israel of genocide? Who stands up to oppose them, and who stands by silently? We know where Jamal Bowman stands.”
“He co-sponsored a resolution calling the founding of Israel a ‘catastrophe,'” Wiesel continued. “He voted against condemning Hamas‘ brutal attack, and Jamal Bowman repeated Hamas lies, denying that women were raped and babies were butchered.”
“My father taught that anti-Semitism begins with lies and conspiracy theories, and it ends with violence that consumes any society that tolerates it,” Wiesel concluded. “So I ask you, will you stand up to Jamal Bowman’s lies and conspiracy theories? Or will you sit by silently?”
The ad was aired by AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, which has spent a large amount on targeting anti-Israel Democrats in their primaries this election. Bowman has become one of their central targets, after distinguishing himself as one of the House Democrats most critical of Israel.
The ad-tracking firm AdImpact found that AIPAC has spent $8 million on TV ads to oust Bowman, Politico reported.
Bowman’s campaign referred the outlet to Sophie Ellman-Golan, the Jews for Racial and Economic Justice communications director, who defended the New York Democrat as a “leader for decades in fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate, as a principal and in Congress. Democratic voters won’t let these ugly smear attacks from Republican-funded AIPAC divide us.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Bowman for comment.
Elie Wiesel, Elisha Wiesel’s father, wrote one of the most famous works of Holocaust literature, Night, a partial recounting of his experiences in Auschwitz. After the war, he became an ardent supporter of Israel, including voicing support for more controversial Israeli moves such as expanding Jewish settlements into Palestinian territory. He condemned Hamas in the 2014 Gaza War and criticized then-President Barack Obama for opposing Jewish settlement construction in East Jerusalem.
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Despite readily winning his 2020 and 2022 House primaries, Bowman has emerged as one of the most vulnerable “Squad” members, following his criticism of Israel amid the War in Gaza.
A March FiveFiftyEight poll found him trailing primary challenger Westchester County Executive George Latimer by 17 points. Bowman’s approval rating has plummeted to 36%, compared to Latimer’s 68% approval rating.