Anti-Trump Ad Compares US Political Climate To 1930s Germany That Saw Rise Of Hitler, Nazis

A progressive Jewish group on Tuesday released a 30-second campaign ad that compares the current climate in the United States to 1930s Germany, which led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America, which describes itself as an organization that “actively promotes policy consistent with socially progressive, pro-Israel, Jewish community values,” used images from Nazi Germany and images of President Donald Trump’s rallies juxtaposed on a split screen to highlight examples of white supremacy and anti-Semitism.

The council often has condemned Trump, accusing him of fueling anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitic incidents have been in the rise in the U.S. since 2013. The Anti-Defamation League’s most recent Audit of Antisemitic Incidents found 2,107 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in 2019, up 12% from 2018, with assaults up 56%, most taking place in New York City.

The FBI reported 7,120 hate crimes across the U.S. in 2018, 18.6% motivated by religious bias.

Trump has called American Jews who vote for Democrats disloyal and asked Jewish leaders to explain why he has not wrapped up the Jewish vote since his son-in-law and daughter are Jewish.

The also contains images of the deadly 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia, white supremacist rally where an attendee rammed his car into a group of counter-protesters, killing one, and memorials outside the Tree of Life temple in Pittsburgh where 11 people were shot to death in 2018 by a self-described white supremacist.

“History shows us what happens when leaders use hatred and nationalism to divide their people,” the narrator says. Trump's rhetoric often is seen is divisive.

The ad says anti-Semitism and white nationalism have reached dangerous levels.

“Hate doesn't stop itself. It must be stopped. Vote — our future depends on it,” the narrator says. The ad targets Jewish voters in Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania – three states President Donald Trump won in 2016.

The ad says that not only do American Jews feel less safe today, Trump’s assault on democratic institutions “are reminiscent of the rise of fascism in 1930s Germany.”

Trump, who said there were “very fine people” on both sides of the Charlottesville protest, signed an executive order last December addressing anti-Semitism and supporters point to the actions he has taken in favor of Israel.

But a Washington Post report last week indicated Trump made anti-Semitic remarks after talking with Jewish lawmakers and made derogatory remarks about other racial and ethnic groups in private conversations.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has called the rise in anti-Semitism “horrifying.”