Hours after Columbia University canceled a major graduation ceremony following weeks of pro-Palestinian student protests, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke in his Harrisburg office about how the university was failing its students. was looking back.
“In many cases, our universities are failing young people,” he said in an interview this week. “They don't teach the information they need to form a thoughtful perspective. They're willing to overlook certain forms of hate and condemn others more strongly.”
Shapiro, a leader in a prominent battleground state, a rising Democrat, and a proud Jew, denounces the rise in documented anti-Semitism after the Hamas-led October 7 away attack. He has also emerged as one of the party's most prominent figures. Israel.
And as Democratic anger and anxiety mounts over how Israel is conducting its devastating military response, Mr. Shapiro, 50, who is not required to speak on foreign policy, has criticized his country's rights while also did not hesitate to express support for -Wing Government.
Delving into an issue that has inflamed and divided many Americans is risky for ambitious Democrats in politically important states. The politics surrounding both the Gaza war and the protests have been exceptionally difficult within the Democratic Party, with many Democratic voters and elected officials increasingly critical of Israel.
But Mr. Shapiro was candid.
When I asked him if he considered himself a Zionist, he said yes.When Iran attacked Israel last month, he wrote on social media Pennsylvania said it “stands with Israel.”
When the University of Pennsylvania's president struggled to directly answer before Congress whether calling for the genocide of Jews violated the school's policies, Shapiro said he failed to show “moral clarity.” (She later resigned.) When Gaza war opponents picketed an Israeli-style restaurant in Philadelphia known for its falafel and tahini shakes, Mr. Shapiro called the demonstration anti-Semitic and showed up for lunch.
And as university officials struggle to define where free speech ends and hate speech begins, and tensions shift in the final weeks of the academic year, Shapiro is under pressure to protect students from discrimination. issued a stern warning. This problem is a familiar one. On Friday, police cleared an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters outside the University of Pennsylvania campus. Mr. Shapiro had said it was “in the past” for Mr. Penn to do so.
“It doesn't have to be difficult.”
In an interview, Shapiro stressed that he does not believe all encampments and demonstrators are anti-Semitic, “by no means.” But he suggested that anti-Semitic speech is treated differently on some campuses than other types of hate speech.
“If a group of white supremacists camped out and shouted racial slurs every day, it would receive a different response than if a group of anti-Semites camped out and yelled anti-Semitic tropes.” he says.
Law enforcement officials and advocacy groups have tracked an increase in anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab acts in recent months.
“We must be universal in condemning anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all forms of hatred,” Shapiro said after attending Monday's Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony.
He said that while there is room for “nuance” in foreign policy debates, “it shouldn't be difficult to call out anti-Semitism on the political left or right.”
A new poll shows Shapiro, a former state attorney general, has a 64% approval rating for his job, while only 19% of Pennsylvanians say they disapprove.
He has long emphasized bipartisanship and prioritized non-ideological issues such as quickly reopening Interstate 95 after its collapse. His own religious observance also helps him connect with people of other faiths in a state where Jews are estimated to make up about 3 percent of the electorate.
“I go home for Shabbat dinner on Friday nights because family and faith ground me,” he said in a campaign ad.
Many Jews in Pennsylvania hope he will become the first Jewish president. On this subject, he is as deft as any White House candidate. He laughs and claims he loves his current job and is focused on it.
“We are very honored that people are paying attention to what we are doing,” he said. “I am dismissing those comments because of the job I try to do every day as governor: root out hate and speak with moral clarity both here in the UK and across the country.”
He added: “It certainly doesn't help when it comes to our top political priority of re-electing President Biden.”
“Josh is front and center.”
The Middle East war has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities, and sparked widespread and massive protests.
But on college campuses, a heated debate has erupted over when demonstrations against Israel and its treatment of Palestinians turn into anti-Semitic attacks targeting Jewish students and educational institutions.
For Shapiro, the difference is clear. It is natural to criticize Israeli policies. “Imposing Israeli policies on all Jews is not,” he said.
Shapiro said he felt a “unique responsibility” to speak out because he leads a nation founded on a vision of religious tolerance and because he is a “proud American Jew.” .
In fact, his Jewish identity is intertwined with his public persona to a degree rarely seen in American politicians.
He is a graduate of a Jewish day school and has featured challah in campaign ads and referenced the Jewish Code of Ethics in speeches.In recent weeks he has In case of inclement weather, he offered 76ers players. We ate matzo ball soup and celebrated the end of Passover with Pennsylvania's famous Martin's Potato Rolls.
“These are not easy times to be Jewish and to be a Jewish politician,” said Sharon Levin, Mr. Shapiro's former teacher. “Josh is front and center.”
Mr. Shapiro also spent a lot of time in Israel and proposed to his wife in Jerusalem. Asked if he, like Mr. Biden, considered himself a Zionist, he admitted he did.
“I'm pro-Israel,” he said. “I support the idea of a Jewish homeland, a Jewish state, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that Israel is strong and that Israel is strengthened and lasts for generations.”
He also supports a two-state solution, is a longtime critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and said he mourns the “loss of life in Gaza.”
This approach is common among elected Democrats. But that is clearly at odds with campus protests, which are often explicitly anti-Zionist.
This issue is almost certain to divide Democratic opinion in future presidential debates.
So far, Mr. Shapiro has not faced the backlash from other left-wing supporters of Israel, in part because he does not vote on foreign policy. And unlike fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman, who has sometimes engaged provocatively with pro-Palestinian protesters, Mr. Shapiro has a more measured, lawyerly style.
“Regardless of whether I agree with their ideas or not, it is very important to remove hate from the conversation and allow people to freely express their ideas,” he said.
tensions over israel
Some Islamic leaders argue that Mr. Shapiro has not found the right balance in his term beyond October. 7 comments.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Philadelphia said in a statement that two of its board members were absent from an iftar banquet he hosted, saying he had “made a huge impact on Muslims, Arabs, and pro-Palestinian Pennsylvanians.” “He caused great damage and suffering.”
“The governor, like the White House, does not fully understand the deep resentment towards his position,” Ahmet Tekelioglu, the chapter's executive director, said in an interview. (In a statement Friday, he also criticized Mr. Shapiro's call to disband Penn's campaign.) “The governor has lost the trust of many in Pennsylvania's Muslim American community, who he has long considered friends. Ta.”
Shapiro's team has clashed with CAIR before, saying, “One press release from one group with its own agenda could jeopardize my close and strong relationship with the Muslim community.'' I have no intention of condoning that.”
“We have strived to create a place at our mansion and throughout Pennsylvania where people of all faiths feel welcome,” he said.
State Rep. Tariq Khan, a Philadelphia-area Democrat and Muslim, did attend the iftar. That included time for prayer and a “proper dinner,” rather than “eating hors d'oeuvres and going out in high spirits,” he said.
“In times of so much trauma, sometimes it's easy to do nothing,” Khan said. “If he didn't care about our community, he wouldn't be spending that time.”
Growing expectations
Mr. Shapiro faces a variety of pressure from the Jewish community.
In the Philadelphia area, many people know him or his family personally, or feel like they know him, and in some cases expect him to frequently voice his support for Israel. But Jonathan Scott Goldman, chairman of the Jewish Federation of Pennsylvania, said his job is to lead the entire state.
“Jews want to claim Josh as their own, and they do,” Goldman said. “He knows he's not just a Jewish governor. He's a governor, and he's the governor of all of Pennsylvania.”
Mr. Shapiro has repeatedly said in interviews that he is focused on the job.
But when asked if he believed, broadly speaking, that this country could elect a Jewish president in his lifetime, he said, “Broadly speaking, absolutely.”
“It doesn’t mean our country is free of prejudice,” he said. “If you ask me, can this country go beyond that and elect someone who looks different than them or worships differently than them? The answer is yes.
