Disgusting:
Sen. David Perdue of Georgia deleted a Facebook ad targeting his Jewish election opponent, Jon Ossoff, that appeared to have been altered to make Ossoff’s nose bigger.
The ad called for donations to Perdue, a Republican, by claiming that “Democrats are trying to buy Georgia.” It uses black-and-white photos of Ossoff and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is also Jewish, that have been Photoshopped to appear as if they were pulled from an old television set with poor reception.
But the Ossoff image, which was adapted from a 2017 Reuters photo of him, was also changed by having his nose lengthened and widened, even as other parts of his face stayed the same size and proportions, three graphic design experts told the Forward.
Here’s some more info:
The ad was posted on July 22, according to data maintained by Facebook. It registered at least 3,000 impressions, which refers to the number of times that it appeared on users’ screens.
For centuries, depictions of Jews that embellish their noses as large and hooked have been used as a form of anti-Semitic caricature. The ad in Georgia also came as researchers have found that anti-Semitism has surged across the country in recent years, manifesting itself through violence and vandalism as well as in more subtle ways.
The Anti-Defamation League released an annual audit in May showing that anti-Semitic incidents had climbed to record levels, with more recorded in 2019 than in any year during the four decades the organization has been tracking them.
Ossoff wasted no time slamming Perdue on this:
“Sitting U.S. Senator David Perdue’s digital attack ad distorted my face to enlarge and extend my nose,” Ossoff said. “I’m Jewish. This is the oldest, most obvious, least original anti-Semitic trope in history. Senator, literally no one believes your excuses.”
Ossoff later issued a statement in which he added that Perdue “can start with an unqualified apology to Georgia’s Jewish community.”
Ossoff is running against Perdue in one of a handful of competitive races around the country that Democrats hope to win in their effort to take control of the Senate. Cook Political Report rates the contest a toss-up.
We need to punish Perdue at the polls and flip Georgia Blue big time. Click below to donate and get involved with Ossoff, Warnock, Biden and their fellow Georgia Democrats campaigns:
Jon Ossoff
Raphael Warnock
Joe Biden
Lucy McBath
Carolyn Bourdeaux