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A few days after 11 people were killed in a shootout at a Pittsburgh synagogue, a new political courier participating in a Senate race in Connecticut is raising accusations of anti-Semitism.
The postcard, sent by Ed Republican Senate nominee Ed Charamut, arrived in mailboxes on Monday and featured a caricature of his Democratic opponent Matt Lesser, wide-eyed and holding $ 100 bills in front of an exaggerated smile.
Efforts to reach Mr. Charamut and his campaign on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Mr. Lesser, a 35-year-old member of the state House of Representatives, called the appeal letter to play on age-old offensive stereotypes of Jews.
In a statement, Mr. Lesser, who is seeking a Senate seat in central Connecticut, described the tactic as stunning, even in that environment.
Last year, the number of reported cases Antisemitic incidents in the United States jumped 57 percent, according to an annual anti-defamation League report.
In the February report, the organization found that such incidents, including harassment, vandalism and physical assaults, had soared to 1,986 in 2017, compared with 1,267 the year before. This increase coincided with the first year of President Trump's term and was the largest increase in a year since the start of data tracking in 1979.
On Sunday, Mr. Lesser, who lives in Middletown, participated in a candlelight vigil to show his support for the victims of the Pittsburgh shootings and to take a stand against hatred and anti-Semitism. His wife, Sarah, grew up four blocks from the Tree of Life synagogue, where the Saturday morning attack took place.
"Then come back home," said Mr. Lesser, referring to the Republican sender. "This has resulted in difficult discussions about anti-Semitism with my family and neighbors. I am comforted by the support I have received from Christian pastors and lay leaders, as well as Republican officials horrified by Mr. Charamut's lack of judgment. "
Sunday evening, the campaign of Mr. Charamut The Facebook page posted his photo above an image of the Star of David, created from nested arms, above the words "Together Against Anti-Semitism."
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Mr. Lesser, who will also appear on the Working Families Party line, began receiving text messages about the sender at an event organized on Monday. "I thought someone was confused," he said in an interview Tuesday night. "I thought it could not be true. But when I saw it, I was shocked.
"There have been a lot of mailers in this campaign," he added. "This is the first time my face has been grossly distorted in a way that seems to evoke centuries of images depicting the Jewish people."
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