Josh Shapiro: “Seeds of Antisemitism” Are Spreading in America

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro warned that antisemitism is spreading across the United States and becoming increasingly normalized, during a discussion with comedian and political commentator Bill Maher on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher.

The exchange came after a week of attacks targeting Jewish institutions in North America and Europe, raising alarm among Jewish leaders and government officials about what some see as a growing global pattern of antisemitic incidents.

Maher opened the conversation by highlighting the political challenges faced by Jewish public figures in the current climate. “You’re a Democrat running possibly for [President in 2028], and you’re Jewish,” Maher said. “And this is somehow maybe a complete deal breaker in the Democratic Party. I mean, the speed at which antisemitism has gone to a place where I never imagined it would go.”

Maher also pointed to recent attacks against Jewish institutions, suggesting they reflected a troubling trend. “Just this past week… I see a pattern here,” Maher said, referring to incidents targeting synagogues and other Jewish sites.

Responding to Maher’s comments, Shapiro warned that antisemitism is not only appearing in violent incidents but also being tolerated in public discourse. “There are seeds of antisemitism being planted all over this country,” Shapiro said. “Folks are looking the other way and nodding toward it and allowing it to happen in their businesses, on their screens, and in their politics.”

Shapiro said the trend is particularly troubling because silence can allow hatred to grow unchecked. “Too many people are looking the other way when antisemitism appears,” he said. “We have to speak up about it.”

Shapiro, who is widely considered one of the most prominent Jewish elected officials in the United States and a potential future presidential contender, has repeatedly warned about rising antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel and the surge of anti-Jewish incidents reported in the United States and Europe.

Among the attacks cited in recent reporting was a vehicle assault on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, where a suspect drove a truck into the synagogue building. Security personnel responded and the suspect was later found dead inside the vehicle.

In Europe, an explosion damaged a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, earlier in the week. Authorities there described the blast as an antisemitic attack. A separate incident in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, saw suspects arrested after a firebombing at a synagogue and suspicious activity reported near another Jewish site. Another explosion damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam, prompting the city’s mayor to condemn the attack as a deliberate act targeting the Jewish community.

In Canada, police are investigating a series of gunfire attacks directed at synagogues in the Toronto area in recent weeks.

Jewish community leaders and security organizations have reported record numbers of antisemitic threats, vandalism, and attacks over the past year, prompting increased security measures at synagogues, Jewish schools, and community centers.

The discussion on Maher’s program reflected growing concern that antisemitism is no longer confined to extremist fringes but is increasingly appearing in mainstream political and social spaces, a trend Shapiro said requires a clear and vocal response. “We have to speak up about it,” he said. “We can’t allow it to become normalized.”