Dave McCormick arrived at Har Zion Temple on Sunday afternoon, almost without anyone noticing. He was there to attend the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia’s commemoration of the October 7th attacks in Israel. He had attended the commemoration event in Old City on October 7th, 2024 but he made it a point to attend this event on the Hebrew anniversary as well.
I, and several others in the synagogue’s sanctuary, were surprised to see him there since it was assumed that he “did his duty” by showing up to the ceremony on October 7th. Sunday also marked the anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting and since he is from that area, it was thought that he would spend the day in western Pennsylvania. He did spend the evening there, but made the trip to Penn Valley, just for this occasion first.
He walked in quietly, sat off to the side, seemingly trying to blend in and not attract any attention. I only noticed his arrival because I sat in the back and saw all the people who walked in after me. He listened to each speaker intently, bowed his head during the prayers and seemed to show true heartache at the stories of survivors of October 7th and family members of hostages taken that day.
He also grinned from ear to ear and my children and some of their classmates closed the ceremony with HaTikvah, Israel’s national anthem. Dave McCormick was immersed in the gravity of the day and showed his true connection to the Jewish community in Pennsylvania and around the world through his genuine response to the day’s meaning.
After the ceremony was over, he started to leave quietly when my husband insisted we shake his hand and thank him for coming. I’m sure he was in a hurry to trek to the other end of the state to attend the Tree of Life ceremony to mourn the loss of life in his hometown 6 years ago, but he obliged without making us feel rushed. He even took the time to ask each of my kids their names and tell them what a wonderful job they did while singing. We thanked him for his unwavering support of Israel and the Jewish community and instead of trying to take credit or boast, he reached out to hold our hands and said he admires the strength and resolve of our community and will continue to do what he can to help. As we wrapped up our conversation, he seemed to have a small crowd waiting to speak with him and instead of telling them he had to leave, he spoke to each person with grace and patience.
I always knew Dave McCormick was pro-Israel but this experience was in stark contrast to his opponent, Sen. Bob Casey Jr. When reviewing Casey’s record, he was the deciding vote on the Iran deal and has also voted not to put sanctions on Hamas and Iran that would have stopped money from flowing to the two to fund their terrorism. He has also publicly endorsed Squad member Rep. Summer Lee, who is open about her antisemitism. So why would Pennsylvania Jews vote for him? It seems as though the answer to that question is simply because he wears the blue team’s jersey.
I sincerely hope that Jews across Pennsylvania vote wisely on November 5th in the interest of Jews across America and all citizens of Israel, both Jewish and non Jewish.
