Arson attack won’t deter Jewish Pennsylvania gov from doing his job, ‘proudly practicing faith’
(JNS) — As law-enforcement authorities continue their investigation into last weekend’s arson attack at the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, Pa., during Passover, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Wednesday that it would not deter him from his job as the state’s chief executive — or from practicing his Jewish faith openly.
“Nothing he could do would deter me from doing my job as governor. Nothing he could do would deter me from openly and proudly practicing my faith,” Shapiro said at a press conference with reporters in Hershey, Pa., after cutting the ribbon on a new chocolate plant for the iconic Hershey chocolate company.
Though the state police were granted a warrant for Cody Balmer’s arrest that stated that the suspect targeted Shapiro because of his views on Palestinians in Gaza, Shapiro declined to answer whether he believed he was targeted because of his faith.
Trump envoy Boehler: ‘Nothing goes forward until all hostages are released’
(JNS) — U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler said on Wednesday that there was no “day after” discussion with regard to the Gaza Strip until all the hostages being held there are freed.
According to U.S. President Donald Trump, “nothing goes forward until all hostages are released,” Boehler told Al Jazeera. “Step one is all hostages released. Step two is, let’s figure out this day after,” he continued.
“I think there’s always a possibility for a comprehensive deal,” Boehler said, adding, “I don’t think Israel is interested in staying for the long term.”
US claims Mohsen Mahdawi’s activism could ‘potentially undermine’ prospect of peace in Gaza
(JTA) — Mohsen Mahdawi, the Palestinian student protest leader arrested on Monday during a citizenship appointment, should be deported because his activism undercuts efforts to end the war in Gaza, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued in a memo.
The argument contained in the memo, written last month and obtained by the New York Times, adds to the rationales offered by Rubio and other Trump administration officials for why they are seeking to deport non-citizen pro-Palestinian activists.
The memo cited the same Cold War-era law that Rubio used to argue that another Columbia pro-Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil, was eligible for deportation because his campus activities were at odds with U.S. foreign policy about antisemitism. A judge accepted Rubio’s argument after a hearing that Khalil’s lawyers called “charade of due process.”
The Mahdawi memo, according to the New York Times report, describes another foreign policy goal that Rubio said the protester was undercutting: ending the war in Gaza.
Jewish family on way to Passover seder killed in NY plane crash
(JTA) — A Jewish family was killed Saturday when their private plane crashed en route to upstate New York to celebrate Passover.
Among those lost in Sunday’s crash were siblings Karenna Groff, 25, and Jared Groff, 26, and their parents, surgeons Michael Groff and Joy Saini. Karenna’s boyfriend James Santoro and Jared’s girlfriend Alexia Couyutas Duarte, 24, were also on board. Both couples planned to get engaged in the coming months, according to the Associated Press.
Michael Groff piloted the twin-engine plane which crashed in Copake, New York, after an unsuccessful landing attempt. The family’s youngest daughter, Anika, was not on board, according to the Associated Press.
Karenna Groff was the 2022 NCAA woman of the year when she played soccer for MIT. She was enrolled at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. In 2019, she played for the USA women’s soccer team at the European Maccabi Games in Budapest, Hungary.
