For years, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania has said that his Jewish faith drives his commitment to public service.
But as he wrapped up a fiery speech in Philadelphia on Tuesday, after the conclusion of a vice-presidential search process that prompted intense public scrutiny of his views on Israel, Mr. Shapiro’s familiar references to his religious background took on a raw new resonance. And he seemed to sound a note of defiance.
“I am proud of my faith,” he said, his voice rising, speaking slowly and deliberately to sustained applause.
Mr. Shapiro’s comments came as part of a well-received speech welcoming Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. Throughout, Mr. Shapiro praised the ticket effusively.
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But the moment followed an ugly final phase of Ms. Harris’s search.
Mr. Shapiro’s positions on the Middle East, his allies have noted, are well within the Democratic mainstream, and were not markedly different from other vice-presidential candidates under consideration.
Yet Mr. Shapiro — dubbed “Genocide Josh” by some activists — drew outsize attention on the subject, his supporters said, and some saw that focus as driven by antisemitism.
Left-wing and pro-Palestinian activists and other critics vehemently denied that, saying they objected because they saw Mr. Shapiro as too sympathetic to Israel and overly critical of campus Gaza-war protests, not because of his faith.
Some Democrats worried that elevating Mr. Shapiro to the ticket would reignite the battles raging in the party over Israel and the Gaza war — divisions that still exist, but had been more muted after President Biden said he would not seek re-election.
For others — especially for some Jewish Democrats who have struggled with their place in the party against that backdrop — the spotlight on Mr. Shapiro was painful.
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In his remarks, Mr. Shapiro emphasized the role his faith — which he did not highlight by name — has played in his public life.
“I lean on my family, and I lean on my faith, which calls me to serve,” Mr. Shapiro said.
Soon after, he was back to stumping for the Democratic ticket.
