Pennsylvania

Josh Shapiro’s new memoir puts his Jewish identity at the center of his political vision

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro asserts that Judaism is not a sidebar to his public life, but one of its central organizing principles.

|ByANDREW SILOW-CARROLL/JTA
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks at Pennsylvania Department of State’s press briefing, after polls close, on the day of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
A view from the University of Pennsylvania on April 18, 2025.

Penn calls gov't demand for list of Jewish employees ‘disturbing and unconstitutional'

"Singling out organizations and individuals for such an invasion of privacy based on their actual or presumed religious affiliation would be deeply troubling,” the university wrote.

|ByGRACE GILSON/JTA
AMBASSADOR DEBORAH Lipstadt, US Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism speaks during 'March For Israel' at the National Mall on November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Jackson synagogue arsonist unconnected to pro-Palestinian movement

Jewish activists and communities have been engaged in debate over which corner poses the greatest threat, and new incidents are often met with immediate speculation over the attacker’s motivations.

|ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
Dividing cancer cell

Arizona couple admits in court to faking cancer-curing 'smart chip' device

At clinics in Arizona and several other states, Mary Blakley and her husband told patients that, for just $300, they could provide a full-body scan to detect a variety of potential illnesses.

|ByCHRIS PALMER/THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER/TNS

Two M&Ms factory workers rescued after falling into chocolate tank

They were transferred to a nearby hospital • it is not known how they got into the tank

JUNE 11, 2022ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
M&Ms.

McCormick concedes to Mehmet Oz in Senate Republican primary

Oz, who was backed by former President Donald Trump, will now face Democrat John Fetterman in the Nov. 8 midterm election.

JUNE 4, 2022ByREUTERS
Pennsylvania Republican US Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks at his primary election night watch party in Newtown, Pennsylvania, US, May 17, 2022.

Josh Shapiro: Pennsylvania gov. candidate, maybe 1st US Jewish president

“I grew up in a kosher home, went to shul and went to a Jewish school, where I met my wife. I keep a kosher home, and I am always home on Friday night for Shabbat dinner with my family.”

APRIL 28, 2022ByGIL HOFFMAN
JOSH SHAPIRO: If victorious, intends to take his love for Israel with him as Pennsylvania governor.

Josh Shapiro launches ads in Pennsylvania gov. race with nod to Shabbat

“Whether my day starts here in Bloomsburg, Uniontown, or anywhere in Pennsylvania, I make it home Friday night for Sabbath dinner because family and faith ground me.”

APRIL 27, 2022ByRON KAMPEAS/JTA
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro appears on CNN on Nov. 4 to discuss vote counting in Pennsylvania

Chair that Colleyville rabbi threw at captor going to US Jewish museum

Congregation Beth Israel has donated the items to the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.

APRIL 5, 2022ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, the man at the center of the Colleyville, Texas, synagogue hostage crisis that occurred January 15, 2022

Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, 6 more weeks of winter

The tradition of Groundhog Day dates back to 1886, when the now legendary groundhog supposedly first began predicting the weather.

FEBRUARY 2, 2022ByAARON REICH
Punxsutawney Phil's handler A.J. Dereume holds the famous groundhog during the 136th Groundhog Day, at Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, US, February 2, 2022.

GOP's Doug Mastriano enters Pennsylvania governor with shofar blast

Doug Mastriano isn't Jewish but wore a tallit and blew a shofar as he announced his candidacy. Using shofars is becoming increasingly common by Christians at right-wing political events.

JANUARY 9, 2022BySHIRA HANAU/JTA
HEARING THE shofar is one of the core aspects of the Rosh Hashanah prayers

Pennsylvania allocates $6.6m for Tree of Life synagogue repairs

The US state of Pennsylvania issued $6.6 million USD in grants to repair the Tree of Life synagogue, the site of the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history.

DECEMBER 4, 2021ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Police officers guard the Tree of Life synagogue following shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, October 27, 2018.

Pennsylvania’s Jewish A-G Josh Shapiro declares candidacy for governor

Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who has deep roots in the Jewish community, is running for governor of Pennsylvania.

OCTOBER 12, 2021ByRON KAMPEAS/JTA
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro appears on CNN on Nov. 4 to discuss vote counting in Pennsylvania

Jewish adult summer camp includes color war, fire breathing and shabbat

Held on Labor Day weekend just before Rosh Hashanah, Camp Nai Nai Nai drew some 100 adults in their 20s and 30s from throughout North America to have fun, make new friends and do Jewish stuff.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021BySAMANTHA COOPER/JTA
Summer camp [Illustrative]