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IHRA Definition Challenged, School Incidents & Political Rhetoric · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We're also
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  Speaker 1: launching Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, covering New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
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  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region. Find us at clockworkmedia.org slash MAPolice
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  Speaker 1: in Belleville, Ontario. Our investigating antisemitic flyers distributed in the
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  Speaker 1: neighborhood of the Sons of Jacob Synagogue. The flyers, which
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  Speaker 1: contained conspiracy theories including that every single aspect of the
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  Speaker 1: COVID agenda is Jewish. and every single aspect of abortion
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  Speaker 1: is Jewish, appeared less than two weeks after a gunman
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  Speaker 1: attacked the synagogue on Yom Kippur. Belleville police have stated
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  Speaker 1: the September 20 attack was a hate-motivated crime targeting the
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  Speaker 1: Jewish community, during which an officer was seriously wounded. Authorities
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  Speaker 1: are asking for public assistance in identifying the distributor of
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  Speaker 1: the flyers, emphasizing that hate has no place in Belleville.
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  Speaker 1: A congregant told JTA that the resurfacing of such rhetoric
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  Speaker 1: is incredibly concerning, and a sign that hatred has infiltrated
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  Speaker 1: the public consciousness. In the United Kingdom, the Green Party
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  Speaker 1: narrowly passed a resolution at its annual convention characterizing Zionism
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  Speaker 1: as inherently racist. The motion, which advocates for a single
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  Speaker 1: democratic Palestinian state, has drawn sharp condemnation. The Israeli government
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  Speaker 1: called it a clear antisemitic text that denies Jewish self-determination.
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  Speaker 1: a designation consistent with the IHRA working definition. UK Chief
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  Speaker 1: Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mervis described the resolution as poisonous antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: and Britain's Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council labelled
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  Speaker 1: it an antisemitic platform based on a grossly offensive distortion
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  Speaker 1: and erasure of Jewish experience and identity. In response, Israel's
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  Speaker 1: foreign minister declared Green Party leader Zak Polanski persona non grata,
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  Speaker 1: barring him from entering Israel. New York City's strategy to
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  Speaker 1: combat antisemitism, proposed by Mayor Zoran Mamdani, is facing criticism.
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  Speaker 1: Reports indicate substantial funding is allocated to the Anti-Israel Arab
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  Speaker 1: American Association of New York, an organization previously run by
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani's mentor Linda Sarsour, which has been accused of cheering
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  Speaker 1: on anti-Israel protests. This comes as NYPD crime data shows
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  Speaker 1: an 8% jump in antisemitic attacks through August. Some Jewish
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  Speaker 1: leaders have criticized the mayor's plan for failing to mention
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  Speaker 1: Zionism and only passingly referencing Israel. Meanwhile, Senator Rick Scott,
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  Speaker 1: speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper, broadly labeled Democrats as socialists
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  Speaker 1: and antisemitic, defending his claims by pointing to figures like
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani and streamer Hassan Piker, asserting Democrats have not condemned
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  Speaker 1: such rhetoric. Tapper noted that Mamdani has indeed published a
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  Speaker 1: plan to combat antisemitism. Separately, Anti-Israel groups are planning protests
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  Speaker 1: accusing Mayor Mamdani of betraying the Palestinian cause due to
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  Speaker 1: his administration's actions, including its antisemitism strategy and policing of demonstrations.
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  Speaker 1: In Ontario, Canada, 12 Jewish teachers have filed applications with
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  Speaker 1: the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, each seeking $ 150, 000 in damages.
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  Speaker 1: Their claims cite a series of alleged antisemitic incidents in schools,
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  Speaker 1: including swastikas drawn by students, Nazi salutes, antisemitic union literature,
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  Speaker 1: and the erasure of Israel from maps. One teacher, Alex Naudelman,
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  Speaker 1: states he was transferred due to egregious antisemitism he endured,
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  Speaker 1: citing an instance where a student drew a swastika, which
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  Speaker 1: he felt was not addressed with sufficient seriousness. The teachers
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  Speaker 1: are seeking binding orders for school boards and unions to
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  Speaker 1: implement policies combating antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Thousands of Jewish parents
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  Speaker 1: are reportedly withdrawing their children from New York City public schools,
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  Speaker 1: citing a surge in anti-Semitism and hostile school environments since
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  Speaker 1: the October 7th Hamas attack. Parents describe educators praising terrorists
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  Speaker 1: and anti-Semitic narratives, with one parent noting that calling Zionists
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  Speaker 1: violent is no longer about criticizing Israel, but about what
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  Speaker 1: is being taught in classrooms, suggesting anti-Zionism is Jew hate
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  Speaker 1: and anti-Semitism as we know it. A Teach Coalition report
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  Speaker 1: indicated a nearly 2% rise in K-12 enrollment in Jewish
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  Speaker 1: schools in New York State for the 2025-2026 school year. Prisma,
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  Speaker 1: a network for Jewish day schools, found that 60% of
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  Speaker 1: parents enrolling their children in Jewish schools cited the Hamas-Israeli
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  Speaker 1: war as the primary reason, with over half having previously
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  Speaker 1: attended public schools. On Texas college campuses, Efforts are underway
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  Speaker 1: to address antisemitism through educational programming, supported by the Texas Holocaust, Genocide,
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  Speaker 1: and Antisemitism Advisory Commission. Events are designed to foster conversations
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  Speaker 1: about the history and rise of modern antisemitism. This comes
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  Speaker 1: amid reports that antisemitic incidents surged significantly following the October
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  Speaker 1: 7th attacks. The Texas Education Agency has also provided resources
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  Speaker 1: for public schools to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict. Elsewhere, former U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Ambassador Rahm Emanuel is challenging the anti-Israel wing of the
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  Speaker 1: Democratic Party, questioning their policy approach to the Middle East.
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  Speaker 1: Incoming anti-Israel members of Congress have protested Prime Minister Netanyahu
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  Speaker 1: at the UN, and a New Jersey city faces investigation
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  Speaker 1: for alleged antisemitic actions. Additionally, discussions around theological interpretations potentially
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  Speaker 1: involving figures like Tucker Carlson, are being examined for their
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  Speaker 1: link to antisemitism concerning Israel and Zionism. I'm Rachel Adler,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage
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  Speaker 1: from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region,
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  Speaker 1: listen to Antisemitism Watch, midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org slash m a.
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  Speaker 1: Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so you don't
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  Speaker 1: miss the next update. This report was generated with AI
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  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
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  Speaker 1: primary sources.