When the President of the United States does not unequivocally condemn an arson attack targeting a Jewish governor, this raises important questions regarding the future of the American Jewish community.
By Rachel Avraham
It is now confirmed that the man who firebombed Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s official residence on the first night of Passover was motivated by extreme hatred of Israel and antisemitism. In light of this situation, one must ponder, if a Jewish elected governor in the United States could fall victim to such an arson attack and the president barely relates to the antisemitic nature of the attack, what kind of future do Jews have to look forward to in the United States?
Every day in America, the Jewish community is feeling the effects of the rising antisemitism. It is no longer something that is confined to colleges and universities, although antisemitism is especially felt there. The American Jewish Committee in its Annual State of Antisemitism report found that 54% of Americans feel that antisemitism is a serious problem, 60% said that antisemitism has increased a lot over the last five years, 61% said that it increased a lot since the October 7th massacre, 73% said that Jews are less secure in America than they were a year ago, 33% of American Jews said that they were a victim of an antisemitic incident, and 40% said that they declined to wear things that publicly identified them as Jewish because of antisemitism.
In light of this fact, one must ponder what kind of future do Jews have to look forward to in America, when even an elected governor can fall victim to such wanton antisemitic violence and the president of the United States does not issue an immediate, unequivocal condemnation of this heinous act of antisemitism. For Jewish people, this arson attack and the president’s reaction to it was just the icing on the cake, after we witnessed what happened in Poway, at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and in a synagogue in Texas, and what we have witnessed on campuses and even high schools across the country since the October 7th massacre.
Asked on the evening of April 13 while he was flying on Air Force One about the fire at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, Trump said: “I just heard about it… I have to look into it.” Trump told reporters the next day, “He was probably just a whack job and certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.” He did not speak about the antisemitic nature of the arson attack. Since then, President Trump has not commented on the antisemitic arson attack on social media and has not approached the victim, Josh Shapiro, offering him any kind of support. This is a grave situation, one that does not encourage Jewish people to feel more secure in the United States.
While President Trump has done much to combat campus antisemitism, revoking the visas and deporting numerous foreign anti-Israel activists while clamping down harshly on universities that do not address antisemitism with federal government funding cuts, he has shown himself here that he is less vocal against antisemitism when the victim is from the rival political party and this is greatly disturbing, for a US president should be vocal against antisemitism, regardless who the victim is.
As the Combat Antisemitism Movement stated, “Violence targeting elected officials undermines the fundamental principles and values that make American democracy the envy of the world, and has no place in modern-day society anywhere. As a prominent Jewish figure, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro faces elevated threats, a perilous reality underscored by the arson attack on his home on the first night of Passover.”
They continued, “This act serves as another menacing reminder that antisemitic hatred is not a relic of the past, but a real and present danger across the globe today. We stand with Governor Shapiro and his family, and urge heightened vigilance by law enforcement to protect political leaders from harm.”
On MSCNBC, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, stressed: “There is a reason why this hit home for so many Jewish people. This is the Passover holiday. This is a time where we have seen many antisemitic attacks from the shooting in Poway in 2019, throughout history. And to see one of the highest profile Jewish politicians in America in a targeted attack that literally could have taken his life, the life of his wife and children as well, this is just unacceptable.”
Greenblatt emphasized in the interview, “Violence should not be the price of public service. I think that we all need to look in the mirror because yes he is a prominent politician and a Democrat. But this was anti-American. Setting fire to the home of a governor should be unacceptable, irrespective of how they might affiliate politically.”
Greenblatt also said that if the United States wants to tackle antisemitism effectively, then people of all faiths and across the political spectrum must speak out against it. Political partisanship should be a non-issue when it comes to fighting against antisemitism and standing in solidarity with a Jewish governor whose home was attacked on Passover evening. Therefore, it is of critical importance that President Trump does take a stand on this arson attack, address its antisemitic nature and condemn it, unequivocally.
Photo from ABC News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxF379DRiQo
