Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro Discusses Faith, Threats, and Political Violence

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently spoke about facing antisemitic threats and navigating political tensions related to his Jewish faith. The Democratic governor addressed an attack on his family home and discussed antisemitism within both major political parties.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro builds momentum toward reelection in a crucial battleground state, he’s speaking candidly about how his Jewish identity shapes his political journey.

The Democratic leader finds himself positioned for potential national prominence while simultaneously facing personal security challenges and party tensions over Middle East policy that have put both his family’s safety and political future at stake.

During a recent interview, Shapiro reflected on several pressing issues:

When asked about the April 13, 2025 attack on his residence while his family was sleeping, Shapiro shared his ongoing struggle with the incident.

“I’m one of the fortunate ones in that I wasn’t killed the way Melissa Hortman was or Charlie Kirk was. I wasn’t injured the way Gabby Giffords or Steve Scalise were physically. But I think we also walk around with the emotional scars of it,” Shapiro explained. “To me, it’s less the dealing with the emotions as governor, to be honest with you, it’s far more dealing with it as a dad and a husband and this idea that I’m doing this work that I love, that I find great purpose in that I’ve dedicated my life to, and that thing I love to do brought my family close to death, and that’s a hard thing to work through as a dad, still working through it candidly.”

Regarding antisemitism’s presence in American politics, Shapiro emphasized that the problem spans party lines.

“I think antisemitism is a very real problem in both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Please don’t clip my words there. It is a problem on the political left and the political right, and there should be no place for it,” he stated. He criticized instances where leaders like JD Vance fail to condemn platforms given to figures like Nick Fuentes or Tucker Carlson, saying such inaction “just makes antisemitism fester on the right.”

Addressing critics within his own party who have labeled him “Genocide Josh” over his Middle East positions, Shapiro sought to separate two distinct conversations.

“I want to dialogue back with them, and what I say to them is, there’s really two conversations here. One on antisemitism and hatred and bigotry, and on that, that’s a black and white issue. There’s no nuance, and we should all be able to agree on that, that antisemitism is wrong, hatred and bigotry in any form is wrong,” he said.

On policy matters, he advocated for nuanced discussion: “The second conversation is over what should the policy of the United States be in the Middle East. And on that, it’s full of nuance, and we can have honest disagreements.” He outlined his vision of “a safe and secure Israel side by side with a safe and secure Palestinian state, where Palestinian leadership recognizes Israel’s right to exist.”

Concerning questions from Kamala Harris’s team about whether he was “a double agent for Israel,” Shapiro declined to characterize their motivations as antisemitic.

“No, I didn’t label it that way. Look, I think the people in that process had a right to ask me whatever questions they wanted, and I was honored and humbled to go through that process,” he responded, adding that “they’re going to have to answer those questions” about their motivations.

When discussing how his faith influences his view of President Trump, Shapiro drew connections to broader moral principles.

“I don’t check with my faith as to where I’m going to be on an issue. But I think there’s something deeper there, right? I mean, my faith teaches me to love thy neighbor. My faith teaches me to have respect for others,” he said. “And this is a president who at every turn scapegoats others, disrespects others, attacks others, and I don’t think that he’s sort of violating the tenants of my faith as an American Jew, I think he’s frankly violating the tenants of our shared faith and our shared humanity.”

He continued: “My faith teaches me to feed the hungry and motivates me to help those who are in need. And I frankly think the president could use a little bit more shared faith and shared humanity’s life, and maybe he wouldn’t be so cruel. This is a president who engages in cruelty and corruption, brings chaos every single day.”

Shapiro confirmed he faces daily antisemitic threats, noting a recent arrest in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where “a guy was arrested for terroristic threats and stalking me and my family.”

Despite increasing threats, he remains resolute: “So I think it is true that there’s a rise in threats and a rise in hate directed our way, but it doesn’t deter me, and in part, it doesn’t deter me because I refuse to live in fear, refuse to back down.”

He concluded on an optimistic note: “So in some ways, even though the threats are increasing, the light I see and the joy I find in others is also increasing, and that allows me to frankly ignore the noise and ignore the hate and focus on the goodness in people.”