HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — 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 th …