Mr Rapaport’s parents were Hungarian Holocaust survivors who moved to the US.
As an Orthodox Jewish immigrant, he wrote, he wanted to highlight how Captain Khan’s devotion 'makes freedom possible.'
“Religious freedom and freedom in general is something that’s near and dear to my heart,” he told news website The Forward.
Mr Rapaport’s tweet was picked up by social media users across the globe – notably by Harry Potter author JK Rowling, whose amplification of his message has made the gesture a viral phenomenon.
Speaking to The Independent, he said:
“Following the issue during the campaign about the loyalty of Muslims, he [Captain Khan] is a prime example of why religious bigotry is wrong and a prime example of the opposite; of how we can come together in one country dedicated to an ideal of religious freedom.”
Art time of writing, Mr Rapaport has not announced which of the candidates earned his vote.
