By Bill Simons

Saturday evening, April 12 (the 14th of Nisan, 5785), announced the arrival of Passover and the first seder. At the official residence of Governor Josh Shapiro in Harrisburg, PA, family and guests savored the Pesach traditions and the warmth of each other’s company. The gathering provided temporary respite from the polarization and acrimony now common in American life. 
A few hours after their guests departed, however, a frightening incident beset the Shapiro home. In his bylined New York Times opinion piece, “Finding Moral Clarity After an Arsonist’s Attack,” Governor Shapiro shared details of that episode. At about 2 am, shouting and door pounding roused the governor, informing him that fire in the mansion’s private quarters necessitated instant departure of the family. The Shapiros, along with their two dogs, followed a uniformed officer to safety outside the residence.
After the flames were extinguished, Shapiro re-entered the residence with the Harrisburg fire chief to assess the cause and extent of the damage. Shapiro learned that the conflagration was deliberate and possessed of lethal intent. Destruction of the building’s infrastructure and historic artifacts was extensive. “It looked like a bomb had gone off in the middle of our home,” stated the governor. Entering the dining room and seeing remnants of a haggadah shredded by the blast, Shapiro envisioned the seat place of each family member and guest. Come daylight, the governor and First Lady Lori Shapiro performed the difficult task of informing their four children of the planned and purposeful post-seder attack. 
Violence directed against Jews on Passover has a long lineage. Mary Antin, a social reformer and memoirist whose Jewish family migrated to Boston, recalled Russians evoking the ancient libel that Jews “used the blood of murdered Christian children at the Passover festival” as pretext for pogroms. Although history and the contemporary resurgence of antisemitism provides context, there is a singularity to the Passover attack on Governor Shapiro’s residence. 
Despite High Holiday solemnity, Hanukkah candles and riotous Purim, it is Passover that arguably evokes the most intimate connections for American Jews. Passover is typically a home-based, multi-generational celebration with family and special guests. Through story, prayer, parable, question, mild roguery, generosity and improvisation, a dramatic, foundational story is told through the haggadah reading. As Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz notes, even the Passover food possesses a distinctiveness: “There are unique tastes, smells, and sounds: the taste and smell of the matza, maror and haroset, the special foods of the festival, the cracking and crunching of the matza. All of these elements join together to form a complete performance that engages all the senses – sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.”
Beyond rules governing consumption, the Passover seder necessitates direct engagement on multiple levels. The haggadah reflects shifting moods and circumstances. It is the youngest person who asks the Four Questions. And characterizations of the Four Children (Sons) might lead to introspection. During recitation of the plagues, Egyptian suffering is recognized through droplets of wine. The children conspire to hide and ransom the afikomen. When an exterior door is open, it might appear that a sip has been taken from the Cup of Elijah. A Simons seder tradition invites competition to determine who can read “Chad Gadya” the fastest. The tale of Hebrew emancipation from Egyptian slavery is narrated with dramatic power. Participants are under injunction to consider themselves as part of the generation liberated from bondage and to offer thanks to God. According to the Steinsaltz Haggadah, “The Passover seder is in general an act of transferring memory from the older generation to the younger one.”
Undoubtedly, most seders, including the Shapiro’s, feature many of the preceding attributes. That commonality makes the post-seder attack on the Shapiro residence relatable, even personal. 
Monday, April 14, brought an arrest. A tip by a former domestic partner, surveillance footage and confession confirmed 38-year-old Cody Balmer – possessed of a troubled past, mental health problem, and allegations of multiple assaults – as the culprit. He was charged with terrorism and attempted murder. Video shows Balmer hopping a fence, breaking windows, wielding a hammer and employing incendiaries to ignite two fires in the Shapiro residence before escaping. Balmer told police he hated Shapiro and was prepared to beat him with the hammer. 
Announcing his participation in a second night Passover seder from a smashed window that Balmer had used to gain entry to the governor’s mansion, Shapiro made clear that he will continue to publicly affirm his Jewish background. 
Pennsylvania gave birth to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. As an heir to that legacy, Shapiro will stand strong against any attempt to employ violence for purposes of intimidation. The governor previously demonstrated this on July 13, 2024, when then former and future President Donald Trump faced an assassination attempt in Butler, PA. Insistent that the rule of law applies to all, Shapiro projects a strong unifying role. 
When Shapiro discusses his Jewish faith publicly, he does so because he believes it makes it easier for other individuals to openly discuss their differences and similarities. Evoking Pennsylvania founder William Penn’s commitment to tolerance and diversity, the governor recounted Muslims and Christians sharing their deepest concerns with him after watching a video of the Shapiro family observing Shabbat. Shapiro mentions several good dialogues in the Pennsylvania hinterland that jump-started with respectful exchanges about diversity: “Let me tell you what it’s like on Sunday afternoon when I come home from church.” “Let me tell you what it’s like on Christmas Eve.” Let me tell you about our Iftar dinners that we have during Ramadan.”
Currently, Shapiro is best known outside of Pennsylvania for demonstrating the nuts-and-bolts management skills that reopened a damaged section of Interstate (highway) 95 far ahead of schedule, receiving serious consideration as the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee and his leadership following the Passover attack on the governor’s residence. With an orientation toward a federalism that perceives certain issues best dealt with by local authorities, Shapiro, 51, offers an alternative to Chuck Schumer, 74, the U.S. Senate minority leader, as Jewish American leadership evolves generationally.
A popular and effective governor of a key battleground state, proud of his own ethnicity and supportive of that of others, morally courageous, and telegenic, Shapiro may have an important role to play in revitalizing the civic cooperation necessary to “promote the general welfare.” Josh Shapiro’s Passover observance exemplifies the commitment of the nation’s founders to E Pluribus Unum – Out of Many, One People.