New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman was widely criticized after he made a Holocaust claim about Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander, a fellow Jew who was endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in his bid to represent the state's 10th district.
During a Newsmax appearance Wednesday night, Blakeman and host Bill Spadea were discussing Tuesday's election wins by progressive candidates in New York when the conversation shifted to Lander, who is New York City's comptroller.
Lander has been critical of the Israeli government and its military actions amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza, but Blakeman framed this as Lander being akin to an actual concentration camp guard.
Blakeman said:
“And Brad Lander — he’s a disgrace. He’s anti-American, he is antisemitic, even though he’s Jewish. This guy would be a camp guard in a concentration camp if he could. He’s a disaster."
You can hear what Blakeman said in the video below.
When approached by NY1, Blakeman did not walk back the remark:
“Maybe camp guard was too strong, but certainly a collaborator, as Brad Lander turned his back on the Jewish community.”
Lander responded shortly afterward demanding an apology:
“If you care about the human rights and freedom and dignity and lives of Palestinians and don’t want to keep sending bombs to kill them, then you’re like a concentration camp guard — that is just Trumpism, that’s just hate, that’s just vile."
“For those Jews who didn’t vote for me on Tuesday, for people who are anxious, this is a time of rising antisemitism. Let’s have a better conversation about it. There [are] ways to disagree about U.S. policy toward Israel."
Many have condemned Blakeman's remarks.
Blakeman's words came after Lander's opponent, Representative Dan Goldman, was banned from a Poetica Coffee, a Williamsburg coffee shop, over his pro-Israel views.
The Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the business after it said it would have refused service to Goldman had staff recognized him during a recent visit.
Last Sunday, the café posted a photo showing Goldman inside the shop, and used the post to criticize his support for Israel. “We see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee,” the caption read, adding a pointed jab about how it “doesn’t taste like genocide juice” and questioning whether he was “still having a hard time telling the difference.”
The post went on to say, “We don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers or anyone in between."
Harmeet Dillon, an DOJ assistant attorney general, said "federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin."
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