PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia state Rep. Chris Rabb, who is locked in a tight campaign for a seat in Congress, is disavowing a December post on his Instagram account that promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory about the deadly Hanukkah massacre in Australia’s Bondi Beach, saying a former staffer was responsible.

The shooters, a 50-year-old man and his 24-year-old son, gunned down dozens of people and left 15 dead during a Jewish celebration in Sydney on Dec. 14. Authorities said the men targeted Jews and were motivated by “Islamic State ideology.”

However, in the hours after the shooting took place, misinformation abounded on social media, including speculation that the mass shooting was a “false flag” attack perpetrated by Israel to generate sympathy.

Shortly after the December attack, a video was reposted on Rabb’s Instagram account that he uses for his campaign showing Ahmed Al Ahmad, a Syrian-born man who disarmed one of the gunmen and has been widely lauded as a hero.

“We all know the (gunmen) were likely Zionists themselves,” the post read. “The news is calling this antisemitic attack, no mention of the Muslim hero.”

A spokesperson for Rabb’s campaign said a former staffer was responsible for the repost that Rabb had “no knowledge” of, and that Rabb “has never and would never say anything like this abhorrent comment.”

“The attack was a terrible tragedy targeting Jewish people based on their faith,” the campaign said in a statement. “Rep. Rabb has and does condemn antisemitism in the strongest terms.”

The post resurfaced this week on social media, with fewer than three weeks until the May 19 primary election to fill the seat currently held by retiring U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans. And it comes as Rabb, a progressive Democrat, has seemingly gained momentum in the race to represent the deep-blue 3rd Congressional District, picking up significant endorsements in recent weeks and posting strong fundraising totals.

Rabb has sought to center much of his campaign on criticizing the influence of the pro-Israel lobby and on calling out his rivals for refusing to label the country’s bombing campaign in Gaza a “genocide." But he does not label himself an anti-Zionist.

State Sen. Sharif Street, who is Muslim and is one of three front-runners in the race, said in a statement Friday that “it is deeply wrong to use this despicable act of terror as an opportunity to advance an antisemitic trope and conspiracy theory about one of the most deadly attacks against Jews since the Holocaust.”

“Our elected officials must do better,” Street said.

The third leading contender is Ala Stanford, a physician and a first-time political candidate whose campaign said in a statement that the post amplified an antisemitic trope and is “disqualifying.”

“Jewish families were murdered at Bondi Beach on Hanukkah, and Ahmed Al Ahmad, a Muslim man, risked his life to disarm the attacker. Both deserve our grief and our respect,” the campaign said.

Rabb is a five-term state representative from Northwest Philadelphia who considers himself a democratic socialist. He’s won endorsements from much of the progressive movement, both in the city and nationally.

On Thursday, he rallied in West Philly with Hasan Piker, a leftist streamer who considers himself an anti-Zionist and has made a series of controversial remarks that are deeply critical of Israel and of U.S. foreign policy.

The events hosted by Rabb’s campaign drew hundreds of supporters. But there was also backlash from leaders in the Jewish community who said they were troubled by Piker’s past statements, including that he prefers the insurgent group Hamas — which perpetrated the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel — to the Israeli government.

“These are not edgy opinions,” said Jason Holtzman, chief of the Jewish Community Relations Council at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. “They are statements that minimize Jewish suffering, dehumanize Jewish people, and normalize violence against Jews and the Jewish state.”

While speaking with Rabb Thursday, Piker said that he is “a passionate person about the issues that I speak on.”

“We now live in a post-Trump universe where I think we should be speaking in the same exact way that regular folks speak,” Piker said. “I see no reason to try to censor myself or talk in a different way.”

During the rally, Rabb specifically thanked a variety of constituencies and groups who support him, including “all the Jewish people” who have backed his campaign.

He has won endorsements from progressive Jewish groups, such as the political arm of Jewish Voice for Peace, which supports Palestinians.

“There are people who have been connected to Israel through cultural and familial ties that are showing up because they believe in a free Palestine,” Rabb said Thursday, “and they’ve created space for people like me to stand up in solidarity.”

(Staff writer Sam Janesch contributed to this article.)

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