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Josh Shapiro
Showed Jewish Pride
AT GUBERNATORIAL INAUGURATION
t’s hard to dispute that we’re living in a time of rising
antisemitism. Antisemitic incidents of assault, harassment
and vandalism have steadily risen nationwide since 2015,
according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Some of those incidents, like the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue
complex shooting in Pittsburgh and the 2022 synagogue hostage
crisis in Colleyville, Texas, were shocking. In response, synagogues
across the country are spending millions of dollars on security
measures like locks and guards.

But into this moment steps new Pennsylvania Gov. Josh
Shapiro, who wears his Judaism on his suit sleeve. Shapiro is also
a politician who in the 2022 governor’s race beat an opponent,
Republican Doug Mastriano, who openly fl irted with antisemites.

And the Montgomery County resident beat Mastriano by more
than 700,000 votes and almost 15 percentage points.

18 JANUARY 26, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
On Jan. 17 outside the statehouse in Harrisburg, Shapiro — the
open, proud and victorious Jewish governor — was on full display.

He took the oath of offi ce from Pennsylvania Chief Justice
Debra Todd with his hand on a stack of three Jewish bibles. One
was his, and the good book on which he has taken the oath for
every offi ce he has held since becoming a state rep representa-
tive in 2005; another was from the Weitzman National Museum
of American Jewish History and belonged to a Jewish World War
II veteran; and the third was a bible that survived the Tree of Life
shooting in October 2018.

During a 23-minute speech after his swearing-in, Shapiro
made implicit and explicit Jewish references to the crowd of
former governors, current General Assembly representatives and
state Supreme Court justices and voters/residents who drove
from across the commonwealth to watch the transfer of power
Photos by Jarrad Saff ren
Jarrad Saff ren | Staff Writer
Josh Shapiro Headshot: Courtesy of Josh Shapiro
I Josh Shapiro steps to the podium
to deliver his inaugural address.




underneath the capitol dome.

“Along the winding road that has led
to this moment, I have been grounded in
my family, and in my faith,” Shapiro said at
the beginning of his address. “May their
memories be a blessing,” the Democrat
said later to the wives of two soldiers who
were killed in the line of duty.

Then, during a run about how
Pennsylvania was founded on religious
tolerance by William Penn, Shapiro
explained that, “In this place of tolerance,
I stand before you a proud American of
Jewish faith, who just took the oath of
offi ce to be the 48th governor of this
great Commonwealth on a bible from
the Tree of Life synagogue, the scene
New Gov. Josh Shapiro addresses the crowd at his inaugural
celebration. just four years ago of the deadliest act of
antisemitism in our nation’s history.”
Shapiro paused as the audience
clapped. About a minute later, he brought
back his favorite line to paraphrase from
the Talmud. “It will require all of us to
build on Penn’s promise,” he said, setting
it up. “My own faith teaches me that no
one is required to complete the task, but
neither are we free to refrain from it.”
Shapiro calls that Pirkei Avot line his
guiding principle for public service. He
quoted it in his campaign kickoff speech
at Penn State-Abington in October 2021,
at his election night victory party at
The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in
November and again at his inauguration.

But he does not just use the line to
The crowd at Josh Shapiro’s inaugural party in Lancaster County
express his guiding principle. He uses it
to connect with voters from all faiths.

“Each of us can make a contribution,” Shapiro said only be good for the Jewish community.”
But he stopped short of calling Shapiro’s represen-
to the crowd of hundreds. “We’ve shown that, when
it’s all on the line, Pennsylvanians step up, and do tation progress.

“I think it’s who Joshua Shapiro is. I don’t want to
their part.”
The member of the Beth Sholom Congregation say that America is changing. I’m not sure if it is or
in Elkins Park is the third Jewish governor in not. But Josh Shapiro is proud of his faith,” he said.

“In some ways, you can argue that America has
Pennsylvania history.

The fi rst, Milton Shapp of Philadelphia, who served gotten more xenophobic.”
Other local Jews, though, think that Shapiro does
as governor from 1971 to 1979, changed his name
from Shapiro to Shapp decades earlier to help his represent progress.

Adam Stout, a Philadelphia resident, convert to
business career. (He became a multimillionaire in the
television industry.) The second Jewish governor, Judaism and member of Congregation Kol Emet
Ed Rendell, led Philadelphia as mayor from 1992 to in Yardley, drove the two hours west to Harrisburg
2000 and then Pennsylvania as chief executive from to see the Democrat get inaugurated. He called it
2003 to 2011. Rendell never hid his Jewish identity or “historic to see our third Jewish governor, especially
changed his name. But he also did not make it part of in light of what I would say is a rise in antisemitism.”
Stout added that he “got emotional” as Shapiro stood
his political persona.

Shapp died in 1994 at 82. Rendell is 79 and last up there as “a proud Jewish American.”
Stout converted because he felt that Judaism was
held political offi ce more than a decade ago. Shapiro,
an “action-oriented, life-affi rming faith.” He said both
49, is of a diff erent generation.

Rabbi Gregory Marx of Congregation Beth Or values came across in Shapiro’s speech.

“It’s about living a life in the moment and doing
in Maple Glen joined Shapiro and other religious
leaders on stage for the invocation. Marx and Shapiro your best to enhance the lives of others,” he added.

Stout also believes that Shapiro’s victory shows the
have been friendly for more than two decades. Marx
said that Shapiro’s open and proud Judaism “can religion’s crossover appeal.

“The values of the Jewish faith are
not just exclusive to Judaism,” he said.

“There’s a lot of things that we share with
Christians, Muslims, even Hindus and
Buddhists. All the other faiths.”
Rabbi Shaya Deitsch of the Lubavitch
of Montgomery County attended
Shapiro’s inaugural celebration on the
night of Jan. 17 at Rock Lititz Studio
in Lancaster County, about a half-hour
east of Harrisburg. Shapiro has spoken
at Lubavitch events for “many years,”
Deitsch said. The Chabad rabbi is “very
proud” of Shapiro’s public identity. He
also called it “important.”
“We need Jewish leaders. And he’s
a good representative of the Jewish
people,” Deitsch explained. “He’s a real
mensch. He’s very humble. Having him
represent us is not just Jewish pride but
pride as an American citizen.”
“I believe very strongly that when you’re
not embarrassed about your Judaism,
when you wear it openly and proud, and
educate people about your Jewishness,
like he spoke today, people see that and
learn from it,” he added. “A lot of antisem-
itism comes from the lack of understand-
ing of what Judaism is all about.”
University of Pittsburgh students
Ira Scheer and Raya Gilman know the
family and attended Shapiro’s inaugural
party. Scheer grew up a congregant at
Lower Merion Synagogue on the Main
Line and graduated from the Jack M.

Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr,
Shapiro’s alma mater and the school his
kids attend. Gilman came of age at the Reform Beth
Or and then the Conservative Ohev Shalom of Bucks
County. Like Scheer, she graduated from Barrack.

Gilman explained that Shapiro’s representation of
the Jews is so important that, even if she disagreed
with him on issues, which she doesn’t, she would
still vote for him. She recalled that her mom “started
to cry” when she saw Shapiro’s campaign ad about
how he makes sure to get home for Shabbos dinner
with his family.

“He was proud of it, which I think is very import-
ant,” Gilman said.

But he’s not just proud of it, according to Scheer.

He uses it. The Pitt student sounded like the gover-
nor when he talked about how Shapiro does that.

“Him being openly Jewish, and then going out
there to meet with every other community that
Pennsylvania has, really shows that our backgrounds
don’t defi ne us and separate us as much as many
people want it to seem,” Scheer said. “We’re Jewish
Pennsylvanians; we’re Black Pennsylvanians;
we’re any Pennsylvanian you are. Together, we’re
Pennsylvanians.” ■
jsaff ren@midatlanticmedia.com
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