Pennsylvania

A defunct synagogue, reminder of a once-proud community, collapses in Pennsylvania’s coal region

Mahanoy City’s first Jewish congregation dates back to 1888, having laid the cornerstone for the former Beth Israel Synagogue in 1923.

|ByANDREW SILOW-CARROLL/JTA
Beth Israel of Mahanoy City, seen here in the 1950s, was built by Jewish merchants and businesspeople who served the area's burgeoning coal industry.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner calls ICE agents "wannabe Nazis" during a rally at City Hall, January 27, 2026.

‘Don’t be a wimp’: Josh Shapiro, Philly DA Larry Krasner spar over ICE-Nazi comparisons

The spat between Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner comes amid a rise in such incendiary comparisons used to describe weeks of chaotic ICE activity.

|ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
Irina Nevzlin and Bruno Roche Propose a New Vision in an Age of Polarization.

Wharton School hosts a new bid to rebuild trust in polarized societies

ONE Society was presented recently at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, arguing that economic rules and identity pressures now collide in real life, and leaders need tools.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks at Pennsylvania Department of State’s press briefing, after polls close, on the day of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.

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

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro asserts that Judaism is not a sidebar to his public life, but one of its central organizing principles.

|ByANDREW SILOW-CARROLL/JTA

Trump Pennsylvania campaign hits snag as law firm drops case

The case was filed on Monday, three days before the law firm dropped it.

NOVEMBER 14, 2020ByTAMAR URIEL-BEERI
A supporter of President Donald Trump holds a sign stating "STOP THE STEAL" and a pin stating "Poll Watcher" after Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden overtook President Donald Trump in the Pennsylvania general election vote count across the street from where ballots are being counted, three d

Trump campaign sues to halt Pennsylvania from certifying Biden win

The lawsuit alleged Pennsylvania's mail-in voting system "lacked all of the hallmarks of transparency and verifiability that were present for in-person voters."

NOVEMBER 10, 2020ByREUTERS
US President Donald Trump speaks about early results from the 2020 US presidential election in the East Room of the White House in Washington, US, November 4, 2020.

Republicans seeking to raise $60m. to fund Trump legal challenges

“They want $60 million,” said a Republican donor who received solicitations from the campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC).

NOVEMBER 8, 2020ByREUTERS
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 31, 2020.

Two men charged with gun offenses near Philadelphia vote counting center

Local media reports showed stickers on the suspects' vehicle promoting QAnon, a pro-Trump antisemitic conspiracy theory.

NOVEMBER 7, 2020ByREUTERS
A person wears a mask depicting US President Donald Trump as supporters of U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden take part in a rally as votes continue to be counted following the 2020 U.S. presidential election, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. November 6, 2020.

US Elections: Rundown of Trump campaign legal battles per state

Below is a list of the cases that will play out in the coming days and possibly weeks:

NOVEMBER 6, 2020ByREUTERS
President Donald J. Trump speaks during an election event at the White House in the early morning hours on November 4, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Liberal Jews fear that even if the president is defeated, his ideology has not been repudiated.

Decision Desk HQ calls the election for Biden

Election officials are still counting ballots.

NOVEMBER 6, 2020ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) is joined on stage by her running-mate, U.S Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, after she accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination during an acceptance speech delivered for the largely virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention from the Chase Cen

Philadelphia police probe alleged plot to attack vote counting venue

Police arrested two men and seized their firearms as well as the Hummer truck about which they had received the tip.

NOVEMBER 6, 2020ByREUTERS
US election mail-in voting ballot (illustrative)

US Postal Service says 1,700 ballots found in Pennsylvania facilities

Ballots must be received by Friday evening in Pennsylvania in order to be counted.

NOVEMBER 6, 2020ByREUTERS
U.S. postal service trucks sit parked at the post office in Del Mar, California

Pennsylvania’s Jewish A-G who’s making sure the state’s votes are counted

Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s Democratic and Jewish attorney general, is the man charged with ensuring the legality of the state’s electoral processes this year.

NOVEMBER 6, 2020ByBEN SALES/JTA
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro appears on CNN on Nov. 4 to discuss vote counting in Pennsylvania

Trump leads in 'cookie poll' by bakery that predicted last three elections

It had sold than 28,000 "Trump 2020" red-and-white cookies, as opposed to just over 5,000 blue-and-white "Biden 2020" ones.

NOVEMBER 4, 2020ByCELIA JEAN
Then Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (rear L) make a stop to buy cookies at the Eat'n Park restaurant in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, October 10, 2016.