Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano’s comparison of Nazi atrocities against Jews with common sense gun control steps supported by a majority of Americans “is patently false, historically inaccurate and thoroughly reprehensible,” Jewish Democratic Outreach PA (DJOP) said today.
“Mastriano’s remarks after the slaughter of innocents in Buffalo, NY and Uvalde, TX show clearly that he is unfit to serve as our state’s next Governor,” said Jill Zipin, DJOP Chair.
Zipin said that Mastriano first compared Nazis to gun control advocates in 2018. In fact, Adolf Hitler’s government banned gun ownership by Jewish citizens and others he perceived as political enemies, but expanded gun rights for all others in Germany.
She said DJOP agrees with Jonathan Greenblatt, National Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Anti-Defamation League, that contrary to Mastriano’s falsehoods, “gun control did not cause the Holocaust; Nazism and Antisemitism did.”
Zipin added:
“Doug Mastriano is a danger to the citizens of our great Commonwealth. DJOP urges voters to elect a trusted and proven leader, Josh Shapiro, for Governor.”
DJOP was formed in 2008 to support progressive candidates and legislation and sponsor educational programs on contemporary issues. Its state-wide work is driven by the traditional Jewish values of the pursuit of justice and the principle of tikkun olam, Hebrew for “repair of the world.”
Serving with Zipin on the DJOP board are David Broida, Ruth Damsker, William Epstein, Harvey Freedenberg, Brett Goldman, Steven D. Irwin, Adam Kessler, Dina Lichtman, Sharon Perelman, Martin Raffel, Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom, Nina Rosenthal, Rabbi Joshua Runyan and Burt Siegel.
DJOP statement by Jill Zipin, Chair, June 6, 2022 regarding Doug Mastriano’s comparison of Nazis and common sense gun control:
“Doug Mastriano’s comparison of Nazi atrocities against Jews with common sense gun control steps supported by a majority of Americans is patently false, historically inaccurate and thoroughly reprehensible.
“Mastriano’s remarks after the slaughter of innocents in Buffalo, NY and Uvalde, TX show clearly that he is unfit to serve as our state’s next Governor. He first compared Nazis to gun control advocates in 2018. In fact, Adolf Hitler’s government banned gun ownership by Jewish citizens and others he perceived as political enemies, but expanded gun rights for all others in Germany.
“DJOP agrees with Jonathan Greenblatt, National Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Anti-Defamation League, that contrary to Mastriano’s falsehoods, ‘gun control did not cause the Holocaust; Nazism and Antisemitism did.’
“Doug Mastriano is a danger to the citizens of our great Commonwealth. DJOP urges voters to elect a trusted and proven leader, Josh Shapiro, for Governor.”