Republican presidential candidate John Kasich this week suggested to a group of Jewish voters in New York that the blood of Jesus Christ was somehow linked to the Old Testament Passover story.

After touring a matzo bakery and a Jewish bookstore in Brooklyn on Tuesday, Kasich delivered a speech on the sidewalk about the importance of Passover, in which Israelites put lambs blood on their door posts as a signal that the Angel of Death should pass over their homes.

ADVERTISEMENT

“It’s a wonderful, wonderful holiday for our friends in the Jewish community – the Passover,” Kasich opined, before referencing the blood of Christ.

“The great link between the blood that was put above the lamp posts,” he said, seemingly unaware that “lamp posts” were not in the Passover story. “The blood of the lamb, because Jesus Christ is known as the lamb of God. It’s his blood, we believe…”

At that point, his speech was interrupted by the subway passing overhead on elevated tracks.

“Somebody’s not allowing me to give a Bible lesson,” the candidate joked.

Uriel Heilman of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency recommended on Thursday that Kasich abstain from giving Christian Bible lessons to Jewish voters.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Talking about Christ’s blood during a visit to Borough Park? Oy vey,” Heilman wrote. “Please, somebody, prep this guy Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn want to hear about food stamps, affordable housing, Medicaid. Ix-nay on the Jesus-nay.”

Watch the video below.