Bernie Moreno, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, has attended two fundraisers in recent months co-hosted by individuals who have been condemned for their comments about the Nazis and the Holocaust.

State Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur was a co-host of a July 28 fundraiser attended by Moreno — listed second on event invitations — and can be seen in a photo from the event. 

Fowler Arthur was photographed a day later standing next to the lectern at another Moreno event. She was photographed with Moreno at a third campaign event in August and posted a message praising him.

Fowler Arthur faced backlash from the Jewish community and the Republican Ohio House speaker in 2022 for suggesting in an interview that the Holocaust should be taught in part “from the perspective of a German soldier” in addition to the perspective of victims.

Based on a clip posted by News 5 Cleveland, which conducted the interview, Fowler Arthur initially brought up the Holocaust unprompted in an interview about a bill regarding teaching “divisive concepts” in public schools.

“You should talk about these atrocities that have happened in history, but you also do have an obligation to point out the value that each individual brings to the table,” she said.

During the interview, Fowler Arthur also mischaracterized key facts about the Holocaust, including how many people were killed, as well as the Nazis’ stated reasons for their actions, while also stating that teachers should not tell students that the Nazis were correct.

“What we do not want is for someone to come in and say, ‘Well, obviously the German government was right in saying that the Aryan race is superior to all other races, and therefore that they were acting rightly when they murdered hundreds of thousands of people for having a different color of skin,’” she said.

Fowler Arthur later apologized and said that her views had been mischaracterized, while claiming that “politicians and left-wing special interests [were] advancing a false narrative to kill the bill and raise money.”

Fowler Arthur did not respond to a request for comment.

Contacted about Moreno’s interactions with Fowler Arthur and others who’ve been condemned for antisemitic activity, a Moreno campaign spokesperson took aim at Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), his Democratic opponent. Moreno’s campaign did not address any of Jewish Insider’s specific questions about the individuals with whom he has affiliated.

“We are not going to be lectured by Sherrod Brown, who has sided with the far-left, fringe wing of his party. Sherrod equated Israel with terrorists, funneled money to a far-left, antisemitic group, voted against codifying security funds for Israel, said that our government shouldn’t trust Israel to abide by a cease-fire, refused to condemn antisemitic protests on college campuses, and is endorsed by Hollywood liberals like John Legend who have said that Israel defending itself is ‘unfair,’” Moreno spokesperson Reagan McCarthy said in a statement to JI.

Brown said in March that he did not trust either Hamas or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abide by a cease-fire. He has donated book royalties to Cleveland Jobs with Justice, a progressive pro-union group which has promoted an anti-Israel campaign by tech employees. 

He voted against 2019 legislation that would have codified the U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding because he had First Amendment concerns about anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions provisions also included in the bill. Brown said, when asked about recent campus protests, that “people always have the right to speak out and should,” while also condemning antisemitism. Legend said in Sept. 2021 that Israel needs to be held “to a higher standard” and that it is “not fair, it’s not just” that the Palestinians are “not being able to experience full rights that they deserve.”

Brown has also condemned violence and antisemitism in campus protests and said that “laws need to be enforced,” voted repeatedly for additional aid to Israel, condemned antisemitic activity in Washington, D.C., and has offered support for Israel and pushed for additional steps to combat Hamas, among other steps to combat antisemitism.

Brown’s campaign declined to comment.

Moreno attended another fundraiser in July co-hosted by Richard Iott, a former U.S. House candidate whose 2010 House campaign was torpedoed by revelations that Iott was a member of a Nazi reenactment group, photographed in Nazi regalia.

The group specifically wore the uniforms of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking, a unit of foreign collaborators from countries invaded by the Nazis who joined the Nazi army and were responsible for shooting nearly 100 Jews during death marches through Austria.

Iott has donated at least $5,800 to Moreno’s campaign and can be seen in a photo from the event.

When Iott’s activities emerged in 2010, he doubled down, confirming in an interview that he was aware of the unit’s background. 

“I don’t know if you call them collaborators. They were volunteers. They wanted to fight what they saw as a bigger threat to them than Germany,” Iott said. “They were doing what they thought was right for their country, and they were going out and fighting what they thought was a bigger, you know a bigger evil.”

Iott was condemned at the time by the Republican Jewish Coalition and then-House Republican whip Eric Cantor (R-VA). 

Iott could not be reached for comment.

Jewish allies of Moreno defended his positions on Israel and Jewish issues. 

“It is rare in life to find someone prouder and more dedicated than Bernie Moreno in his unyielding defense of the Jewish people and the U.S.-Israel relationship,” former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), a board member of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said in a statement. “It will be a massive improvement to the halls of Congress to have Bernie Moreno elected to the Senate to replace Sherrod Brown. By sending Bernie to Congress, Ohio will decisively upgrade its voice of courage and fearlessness to stand up to the radical Democrats who support Hamas’ vile attacks on Israel.”