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Josh Shapiro’s new memoir puts his Jewish identity at the center of his political vision

JL;DR SUMMARY Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's memoir, "Where We Keep the Light," underscores his Jewish identity as a central pillar in his political life, not merely a private or cultural aspect. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

GovernanceDemocracyJewish IdentityAmerican JewsFaithJosh ShapiroCivic Life

Places mentioned

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States
"The book opens on the Passover night in 2025, when an arsonist firebombed the governors residence in Harrisburg as the family was preparing for bed upstairs after a long seder."
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
"Shapiro traces his Jewish biography to his childhood involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement, his education at Akiba Hebrew Academy (now the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy) in suburban Philadelphia, and a formative semester in Jerusalem during high school."
Jerusalem, Israel
"Shapiro traces his Jewish biography to his childhood involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement, his education at Akiba Hebrew Academy (now the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy) in suburban Philadelphia, and a formative semester in Jerusalem during high school."
Manhattan, New York, United States
"At a book talk at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan on Tuesday, Gayle King asked him whether he believes the country is ready for a Jewish president."

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Cairo Item ID 73982
Cairo Source ID 42
Retrieved 2026-01-31 05:31:08 UTC
Curated 2026-01-31 08:30:48 UTC