The co-chairs of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism condemned the Passover attack on the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish.
Reps. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Chris Smith (R-N.J.) issued the statement on Thursday after they said that “the Pennsylvania State Police has now confirmed that the Passover attack on Gov. Shapiro and his family was motivated by antisemitism.”
Shapiro “has nothing to do with Israel’s foreign policy, yet he was targeted as an American Jew by a radicalized extremist who blames the governor for Israel’s actions,” they stated. “That is textbook antisemitism.”
“As Jews across the globe celebrate Passover, a holiday commemorating the liberation of the Jewish people from bondage and oppression, this attack is a bitter reminder that persecution of Jews continues,” the duo added.
Cody A. Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, Pa., was arrested after calling police an hour after the attack on the night of April 12 and admitting to firebombing Shapiro’s mansion while the governor, his family, guests and staff slept on the first night of Passover.
“As co-chairs of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, we strongly condemn this antisemitic violence and urge all Americans to oppose antisemitism in all its forms,” the congressmen stated. “We are thankful that Gov. Shapiro and his family were physically unharmed, and we hope that this individual will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to state police, Balmer broke into the governor’s mansion at about 2 a.m. on Sunday and threw several Molotov cocktails of gasoline in Heineken bottles, causing “significant damage.”
He told 911 operators that he wanted Shapiro to know that he “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” per information that the state police filed to obtain a search warrant.
The suspect also told 911 operators that he had to “stop having my friends killed” and “our people have been put through too much by that monster,” according to the warrant.
