Rabbi Endorses Mastriano as Shapiro Calls Him Antisemitic in Pennsylvania Governor Race

Religion has clouded the conversation in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race.

While voters are interested in the usual issues such as economy, voter integrity, and public safety; forces swirling around the race have now also made it about faith.

Over the last six weeks, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish and the Democratic candidate for governor, has consistently asserted that Republican candidate, Sen. Doug Mastriano, is antisemitic.

Following the Supreme decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Attorney General Josh Shapiro spoke about his office’s continued commitment to protect abortion access for women in Pittsburgh on July 14, 2022. (Commonwealth Media Services)

Shapiro’s campaign has sent countless press releases to media promoting the claim. Shapiro has appeared on MSNBC discussing how worried he is about Mastriano and his supporters, with his campaign orchestrating high profile press conferences with politically-engaged Jewish leaders, including far-left Democrat and state Rep. Dan Frankel.

“I reject antisemitism in any form,” Mastriano, an unashamed Christian, said in a recent statement.

He has opened campaign stops with a Christian prayer and often a Jewish prayer from an attending rabbi.

Now, Mastriano has been endorsed by Rabbi Joseph Kolakowski, who leads a Hasidic Jewish ministry, Congregation Havvoth Jair of Koblentz, in northeast Pennsylvania.

“I have been taught my entire religious life to vote for the right person, not merely for those identifying with the same religion. We are not electing a religious leader, but a leader for the executive branch of the State Government,” Kolakowski said in a written statement.

“I am concerned about the blatant hypocrisy of espousing beliefs that contradict the basics of one’s professed faith. Judaism is the original pro-life religion. The fact that Shapiro has the backing of one of the most dangerous eugenicist organizations, Planned Parenthood, should be sufficient for any God-fearing individual

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