The Rise of Anti-Zionist Violence in America
What the Attack on Gov. Josh Shapiro Reveals About the New Antisemitism
On the first night of Passover, while his family was asleep, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home was firebombed at 2 a.m.
When a Jewish family has to flee their house on the very holiday that celebrates fleeing from persecution, something in the universe is trying to tell you something.
Sometimes symbolism isn’t subtle.
We have a motive now, too: the arsonist himself, Cody Balmer, made a 911 call to declare his actions were motivated by his anger over Gaza. Because, apparently, a governor in Pennsylvania holds sway over Israeli military policy.
Balmer said he wouldn't “take part in [Shapiro’s] plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people.” Except, of course, Shapiro isn’t making any such plans—he’s a governor, not a general. But in this warped universe, nuance doesn’t matter. Neither does reality. Shapiro wasn't attacked as an individual—or even as a politician. He was targeted as a symbol. A scapegoat.
The attack wasn’t random—it was ideological. And it’s part of a growing pattern.
