(Jewish Group) Why right-wing Christian politicians are blowing the shofar
Jews will soon hear the shofar at High Holiday services. Far-right Christians politicians have been blowing it at their rallies all year.
Shofars made an appearance onstage at one recent far-right rally in a Virginia Beach megachurch, for example. where speakers described their political opponents as demons and spread the falsehood of a stolen 2020 presidential election. In another example, Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvanias GOP nominee for U.S. Senate and a leader in the Stop the Steal movement, incorporated shofar-blowing into an August rally.
Christians who use the shofar in these settings say it signifies a bond between them and Jews.
But the practice among right-wing candidates, which caught on years ago but has become increasingly common, draws criticism from Jews who consider it a misappropriation of Jewish ritual. They deem the insult apparent given how many of those who blow shofars at their political events have trafficked in antisemitism.
Right-wing Christians have increasingly been using shofars and other Jewish symbols at rallies, an act that some Jews call offensive. Photo by PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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