Governor Josh Shapiro announced on Sunday that his official residence, in Harrisburg, Pa., was the target of an arson attack that burned a portion of his home.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, when Shapiro and his family were safely evacuated by Pennsylvania state police. No one was injured in the arson attack and the fire was successfully extinguished, the Democratic governor said.
“Every day, we stand with the law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our communities,” Shapiro posted on Facebook in a message of thanks for police and firefighters. “Last night, they did so for our family – and Lori and I are eternally grateful to them for keeping us safe.”
Pennsylvania state police is leading the investigation. No suspect has been identified yet.
The overnight attack came at the start of Passover, which is relevant because Shapiro is Jewish. Hours before the fire, the Pennsylvania governor posted on social media that he was celebrating the holiday with his family.
Elected governor in 2022, Shapiro has been a strong critic of the antisemitic campus protests that have engulfed American universities and colleges since Hamas’s attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. While he is generally supportive of Israel’s war against the terrorist group, Shapiro has been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom the Jewish Democrat views as an obstacle to a two-state solution that would allow Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace.
“We can’t forget the genesis of this,” he told the Washington Post in March 2024, referring to Hamas’s massacre of 1,200 Israelis. “But we also can’t ignore the death and the destruction that’s occurred in Gaza. For those who are peacefully protesting, I support their right to do that and I’ll defend that, and I want to make sure they feel heard. And I think in Pennsylvania, they do feel heard.”
Shapiro received national attention last year when his name was floated as a possible running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris, who was tapped last summer to succeed former President Joe Biden. Harris ultimately chose Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota.
The pick was viewed by President Donald Trump as an intentional snub toward Shapiro “because of the fact that he’s Jewish.” Shapiro dismissed that characterization, claiming that Trump was “trying to use me” and “other Jews to divide Americans further.”
“Antisemitism played absolutely no role in my dialogue with the vice president,” Shapiro told reporters last August. “Absolutely none. It is also true that antisemitism is present in our commonwealth, in our country and in some areas within our party, and we have to stand up and speak out against that.”
Source:
nationalreview.com/news/josh-shapiro-says-arson-attack-targeted-his-pennsylvania-residence/
The incident occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, when Shapiro and his family were safely evacuated by Pennsylvania state police. No one was injured in the arson attack and the fire was successfully extinguished, the Democratic governor said.
“Every day, we stand with the law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our communities,” Shapiro posted on Facebook in a message of thanks for police and firefighters. “Last night, they did so for our family – and Lori and I are eternally grateful to them for keeping us safe.”
Pennsylvania state police is leading the investigation. No suspect has been identified yet.
The overnight attack came at the start of Passover, which is relevant because Shapiro is Jewish. Hours before the fire, the Pennsylvania governor posted on social media that he was celebrating the holiday with his family.
Elected governor in 2022, Shapiro has been a strong critic of the antisemitic campus protests that have engulfed American universities and colleges since Hamas’s attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. While he is generally supportive of Israel’s war against the terrorist group, Shapiro has been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom the Jewish Democrat views as an obstacle to a two-state solution that would allow Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace.
“We can’t forget the genesis of this,” he told the Washington Post in March 2024, referring to Hamas’s massacre of 1,200 Israelis. “But we also can’t ignore the death and the destruction that’s occurred in Gaza. For those who are peacefully protesting, I support their right to do that and I’ll defend that, and I want to make sure they feel heard. And I think in Pennsylvania, they do feel heard.”
Shapiro received national attention last year when his name was floated as a possible running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris, who was tapped last summer to succeed former President Joe Biden. Harris ultimately chose Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota.
The pick was viewed by President Donald Trump as an intentional snub toward Shapiro “because of the fact that he’s Jewish.” Shapiro dismissed that characterization, claiming that Trump was “trying to use me” and “other Jews to divide Americans further.”
“Antisemitism played absolutely no role in my dialogue with the vice president,” Shapiro told reporters last August. “Absolutely none. It is also true that antisemitism is present in our commonwealth, in our country and in some areas within our party, and we have to stand up and speak out against that.”
Source:
nationalreview.com/news/josh-shapiro-says-arson-attack-targeted-his-pennsylvania-residence/
