PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — The oversized Palestinian flag was a tempting target.
Rising from the roof of a car parked behind mine on Thursday, the flag was two feet deep and three feet long, per my estimate. I gazed at the flag, now a symbol of hostility to all Jews, as I packed shopping bags into my car outside a supermarket in Northeast Philadelphia.
You might guess how I felt like reacting, especially five days after my governor and his family were almost burned alive in their sleep because, probably, they are Jews. The flag could reflect on Israel-bashers raving after terrorizing a major Jewish leader.
I managed to restrain myself. As Charles Bronson insisted in Breakheart Pass, “I am not a man of violence.”
Fear not. Breakheart Passwas a typical action-filled Bronson movie because Charles Bronson was Charles Bronson. Not a man of violence? He lied.
Cody A. Balmer is a man of violence, assuming that police have the right person. He was charged with jumping a fence onto the grounds of the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg and allegedly tossing Molotov cocktail-type devices into the very room where Gov. Josh Shapiro hosted a seder a few hours earlier on the first night of Passover.
That and other fires started by Balmer, 38, caused extensive damage, but state police rescued Shapiro, his family and overnight guests before they could be harmed. Police charged Balmer with first-degree felony counts of attempted murder, arson and terrorism, in addition to related charges.
Balmer faces up to 100 years in prison if he is convicted of all these charges, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
All this commotion is rooted in the belief, possibly, that all Jews automatically embrace whatever Israel chooses to do, and who is better to target than, in the view of antisemites, a Jewish prince who would be king?
Police reported statements from Balmer in which he blamed Shapiro for supporting Israel’s attacks on Gaza that left thousands of Palestinians dead after Hamas savages invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when they massacred 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 250 others.
A Republican congressman tossed rhetorical gasoline on the fire by accusing Shapiro of joining the left in stoking “hostile commentary” that contributes to the current political environment.
Shapiro is a strong backer of Israel, and he is no extremist. He has criticized both the present Israeli government and University of Pennsylvania’s response to the wave of anti-Israel protests last year.
Balmer’s grievance amounts to a classic instance of expecting Jews to march in lockstep on a given issue, especially how Israel fights Hamas. Consider what police reported were Balmer’s words.
According to multiple media reports, he identified himself on a 911 call and said Shapiro, who was elected governor of Pennsylvania in 2022, needs to know that he “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” according to a police warrant.
The warrant adds, “Balmer continues saying he needs to stop having my friends killed,” and “our people have been put through too much by that monster…all he has is a banquet hall to clean up.”
Many people might view his words as classic antisemitism. They would interpret it as his assumption that the governor supports everything that Israel does because it is the only Jewish state. Granted, Balmer’s alleged message is not completely clear. The warrant does not consistently specify if he is talking about Shapiro, who is often touted as a candidate for president in 2028.
Antisemitism is not the only factor. Balmer has a criminal record and his mother, Christie Balmer, said he is mentally ill, according to The New York Post. If antisemitism was not part of the package, why would Balmer’s mental state manifest itself with the Jewish governor of our fifth most populous state?
Creepy politicians from both parties contribute to the spread of antisemitic acts. U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, a Republican who represents much of central Pennsylvania, proved just that when he was a guest on The Bob Cordaro Show on WILK-AM in Wilkes-Barre a few days after the incident.
Citing “hostile commentary” from the left, Meuser said, “Every action Josh Shapiro has taken so far against the president has been a lawsuit or a falsehood. You know that’s not helpful either.”
Oh, sure, Shapiro is inciting antisemites by filing lawsuits over federal funding freezes imposed by President Trump and criticizing the president.
Meuser should be grateful to Shapiro if he is spewing “falsehoods.” The truth is sufficient to chastise Trump’s record. So-called “falsehoods” would distract from the president’s shameful actions.
A few Democrats in Congress have a long record of lying about Jews and Israel, and their followers consistently antagonize Jews. The driver of the car carrying a large Palestinian flag must know that the very sight of it will upset Jews.
The supermarket there is located in the middle of one of the more populous Jewish neighborhoods in Philadelphia and a few blocks from the only Jewish community center serving Northeast Philadelphia and its northern suburbs.
The driver has every right to display this Palestinian flag, even if it annoys Jews who are embittered by Oct. 7.
All the same, who would complain if a Jewish version of Charles Bronson had intervened?
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Bruce S. Ticker is a Philadelphia-based columnist.