Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania (DJOP) said today that Ohio US Sen. Bernie Moreno’s comment Wednesday that anyone who does not believe Jesus died for their salvation is unfit to serve in the Senate and “should be nowhere near Washington” clearly demonstrates the need to vote Democratic on Nov. 3.
Jill Zipin, Chair of the state-wide political action committee, said Moreno’s remarks “are further proof that the Republican party under Donald Trump has normalized racism, xenophobia and antisemitism.” The Senator’s comments came only days after Trump described a political opponent as a “shylock” — a favorite slur of antisemites.
Zipin stated: The United States Constitution contains no religious test for membership of elected officials. Sen. Moreno should know that. Those in his party who think otherwise do not represent an America that is safe for Jews or members of any other minority community.
“Moreno’s crude and cruel assertion shows why it is important to vote Democratic. This is why DJOP was established — to support Democratic candidates in Pennsylvania who oppose the extremism rampant in the Republican Party.
“Nothing compares to a party in power that is a danger to the long-term safety and well-being of our Jewish community and our allies.” Zipin also questioned whether Donald Trump can claim he is not antisemitic after he again used the word “shylock” to describe an opponent. She said that one year ago Trump used the word and claimed he didn’t know it was one of the favorite slurs of antisemites.
“After he was advised that the word ‘shylock’ is antisemitic, we can’t believe that his repeated use of it was an accident,” Zipin said. “The headline in the Oct. 20, 2026, issue of Forbes says it all: ‘Trump Uses ‘Shylock’ Term Again — A Year After Claiming He Didn’t Know It Was Antisemitic.’”
