Herzog expressed solidarity with Shapiro after the attack, which took place hours after the governor hosted a Passover Seder
Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images
Police line cordon is seen at Pennsylvania Governor's Mansion after a suspected arson attack caused significant damage in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States on April 13, 2025.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Sunday, a week after an arsonist motivated by anti-Israel animus set the governor’s mansion on fire.
Herzog expressed solidarity with Shapiro after the attack, which took place hours after the governor hosted a Passover Seder.
Shapiro told Herzog he greatly appreciated the call, a spokesperson for the president told Jewish Insider.
The man who set fire to the governor’s mansion last weekend said in a 911 call that he “will not take part in [Shapiro’s] plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people.”
While Shapiro quoted the Jewish priestly blessing following the attack, he stopped short of attributing the attack to antisemitism in an interview on Friday with ABC News and rebuffed a call by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to have Attorney General Pam Bondi investigate the attack as a hate crime.
Herzog was the first Israeli official to call Shapiro after the attack.
Ofir Akunis, the Israeli consul general in New York, sent a letter to Shapiro last week, saying that he was “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the arson attack.”
“This appalling act of violence, carried out during one of the most meaningful nights of the Jewish calendar, could have resulted in a far greater tragedy,” Akunis added. “We commend law enforcement for their swift and effective response, and we stand in full solidarity with you and your family.”