Arson attack on Pennsylvania governor's home evokes trauma for the state's Jews

A year ago, Carole Zawatsky was invited by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to a Passover Seder, held in the same room at the governor's official residence that was devastated by an arsonist just hours after Shapiro hosted this year's Jewish holiday feast.
Now, as she looks at photos of the destruction, Zawatsky can envision where she had been seated and how deadly the attack could have been.
Like many others, Zawatsky is cautiously awaiting word from investigators about the motivations of the attacker, which are clouded by hints of erratic behavior as well as statements from his past.
Still, the attack hit the Jewish community hard in a state where such pain is achingly familiar. It targeted Pennsylvania's religiously observant Jewish governor in the very place where just hours before he had hosted one of the central rituals of the Jewish calendar.
Zawatsky heads a Pittsburgh organization formed to counter antisemitism and memorialize the victims of another Pennsylvania assault – the murders of 11 worshippers from three congregations at the Tree of Life synagogue more than six years ago, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
'Seeing those images is deeply traumatic,' said Zawatsky, CEO of The Tree of Life, the group established in the wake of the Oct. 27, 2018 killings. 'It's not too much to ask that we all live in a country where we celebrate our faith without fear.'
A murkier picture emerges on motive
The synagogue shooting trial revealed that the gunman, who was convicted and sentenced to death, had long been steeped in antisemitism and methodically carried out the attack.
In the Harrisburg case, things are less clear. Investigators have released only fragments of what the suspect, Cody Balmer, of Harrisburg, told them. His relatives say he has struggled with mental illness, and his lawyers suggested Wednesday that will be central to their defense.
'We have no definitive information about this person's motive," Zawatsky said. "We do know that there was certainly hate involved.'
Pennsylvania State Police said the 38-year-old Balmer confessed to the attack, harbored hatred for the governor and said he planned to beat Shapiro with a hammer.
'BALMER identified himself by name and related that Governor Josh SHAPIRO needs to know that he '...will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,'' police wrote as part of applications for search warrants. Exactly who and what that meant were unclear in the documents.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York on Thursday called on the Justice Department to determine whether the attack qualifies as a federal hate crime.
Audrey Glickman, a survivor of the 2018 attack and a member of Tree of Life Congregation, said she admired Shapiro's composure, just hours after the attack, and his emphatic denunciation of hatred regardless of motivation.
'It takes a while to realize you've been attacked and what to make of it,' Glickman said. She admired 'how he stood up right away and spoke strongly about it.'
Shapiro responded to the scene of the 2018 Pittsburgh attack as Pennsylvania's then-attorney general. As governor, he took part in the 2024 groundbreaking for a new building to replace the synagogue, including a memorial, programming and other exhibits aimed to counter antisemitism.
Reminders of an overheated political climate
About 200 people participated in a somber march Wednesday night in Harrisburg. They walked from the parking lot of a synagogue to the governor's residence, where they held a multifaith prayer vigil across the street.
Several marchers connected the attack to the overheated political climate.
'To deny it is like putting your head in the sand,' said retired Presbyterian minister Don Potter, 75, of Dillsburg, who said the images of the building's interior with fire damage 'made me sick.'
Enid Wassner, a retired child care worker from Hershey, said the fact that the firebombing occurring during Passover and targeted Shapiro and his family was 'extremely worrying.' She noted that Jewish institutions and buildings in Harrisburg have had to increase security.
'Gradually things have been getting more worrisome, for me personally and the entire Jewish community."
Questions emerge about attacker's mental state
Police said in court affidavits that in an interview with detectives Balmer 'admitted to harboring hatred towards' Shapiro and referred to the Palestinian people in a 911 call attributed to him that was placed shortly after the break-in.
Balmer's mother and brother have said he suffered from bipolar disorder and would not consistently take medication. His brother, Dan Balmer, said Cody Balmer twice in recent years spent time in a psychiatric hospital in Harrisburg. During a court hearing on Monday, Balmer denied any history of mental illness.
Dan Balmer told the AP on Tuesday that Cody Balmer 'had these theories that were going on in his head' and became angry when family members would tell him his views didn't reflect reality.
'The allegations, if true, demonstrate the devastating consequences of severe mental illness,' Mary Klatt, the chief public defender in Dauphin County, whose office is representing Balmer, said Wednesday. She said his preliminary hearing would be delayed to determine whether Balmer is mentally competent to stand trial.
Identity moves to forefront for Shapiro
Shapiro declined to talk about the attacker's motive on Wednesday, saying prosecutors will ultimately determine what drove him.
'It's not for me to answer that,' he said.
The governor has publicly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the nature of Israel's military action in Gaza, but also has backed Israel's right to defend itself from Hamas.
Hank Butler, executive director of the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition, said Shapiro's focus has been Pennsylvania and not the Palestinian people.
'To say that our governor wishes the worst on the Palestinian people is not welcomed here,' Butler said. 'It is not justified, absolutely not justified -- no attack is justified.'
Shapiro has won statewide races three times in a crucial battleground state. He was a finalist to be Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate in last year's presidential campaign and is considered a potential 2028 Democratic candidate for president.
The attack once again puts his identity front and center. When Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over Shapiro, Republicans tried to cast the pick as a snub to Jewish voters.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, an umbrella group for more than 800 Reform congregations in North America, connected the attack to Shapiro's identity.
'He's also someone who is a strong supporter of Israel,' Jacobs said of Shapiro. "Are those things that put your life at risk in the 21st century?'
Zawatsky, the Tree of Life CEO, noted that in the Passover ritual, Jews are instructed not just to recite the story of their ancient forebears' liberation from slavery but to envision themselves as having experienced it – something that feels especially poignant now. Whether law enforcement officials ultimately settle on a definitive conclusion about what motivated last weekend's attack, she and others already know what living in fear feels like.
'It's very sad to think we pass along the inherited trauma of the fear of antisemitism, but never did I think we would be a generation that would have the lived experience of this kind of violent antisemitism,' she said.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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Smith reported from Pittsburgh and Cooper from Phoenix.

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