Actor Michael Rapaport reacted Tuesday to Vice President Kamala Harris’s choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate by mocking rival contender Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro for disavowing his pro-Israel views in vain.
Shapiro, a young, attractive, moderate governor from a key swing state, was thought to be the top choice until anti-Israel voices within the Democratic Party objected to his pro-Israel views.
Some believed the objections were also antisemitic: Shapiro’s views are not too different from those of Walz or other contenders, but he is Jewish, which attracted disproportionate suspicion and hostility from the most vociferously anti-Israel voices within the party base.
In an apparent last-ditch effort to save his candidacy, Shapiro recanted some of his earlier pro-Israel views earlier this week, saying they were the product of his naïve youth.
Asked Gov. Shapiro about the Philly Inquirer/@anna_orso report on a 1993 college op-ed where he expressed skepticisim about a two-state solution
— aaron navarro (@aaronlarnavarro) August 2, 2024
"Something I wrote about when I was 20? ... I was 20"
"I have said for years, long before Oct. 7, that I favor a two state solution" pic.twitter.com/CXZAlrUEkW
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rapaport used Shapiro as an example of a Jew who tried to save himself from anti-Jewish prejudice by criticizing Israel — to no avail.
Yo Josh Shapiro UNJEWED himself publicly & still didn’t get picked.
— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) August 6, 2024
When UnJewing goes Wrong.#JoshShapiro pic.twitter.com/n9MWIEx1jR
In attacking the “as a Jew” phenomenon, Rapaport was referring to Jews who exploit their identity to attack Israel, to give undue weight to their criticisms of the community, and to inflate their own stature through virtue signaling.
Others reacted similarly to Shapiro’s rejection, pointing to antisemitism and mocking Shapiro’s attempt to appease it:
Poor @JoshShapiroPA. Stitched his foreskin back on for nothing
— Ron Coleman (@RonColeman) August 6, 2024
Rapaport has been outspoken about his support for Israel, especially since the October 7 terror attacks. Though an outspoken opponent of President Donald Trump, he recently admitted he may have been wrong about Trump, at least on the topic of Israel, and has said that he would be open to voting for the Republican nominee, setting the past aside.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
