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NY Governor Links Netanyahu to Rising Antisemitism · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We're launching
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  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, providing focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
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  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region. Visit clockworkmedia.org slash m. A New
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  Speaker 1: York governor, Kathy Hochul, has drawn criticism for comments linking
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  Speaker 1: her job to the electoral prospects of Israeli Prime Minister
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  Speaker 1: Benjamin Netanyahu. In an interview with Politico magazine, Hochul stated
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  Speaker 1: her job would be a lot easier, if Netanyahu lost.
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  Speaker 1: Arguing his handling of the war in Gaza has contributed
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  Speaker 1: to rising antisemitism in New York. She also said she
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  Speaker 1: cautioned Israeli leaders privately against overreach in their response to
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  Speaker 1: the October 7th Hamas attack. These remarks drew sharp rebuke
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  Speaker 1: from Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, who accused Hochul of blaming
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  Speaker 1: Jewish people for antisemitism. The context for these discussions includes
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  Speaker 1: rising hate crimes, NYPD statistics released earlier this month showed
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  Speaker 1: anti-Jewish incidents accounted for more than half of reported hate
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  Speaker 1: crimes in the city during the first nine months of
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  Speaker 1: the year. In Avignon, France, an Irishman named Patrick O'Brien
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  Speaker 1: has been convicted for making anti-Semitic death threats against Jewish tourists.
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  Speaker 1: O'Brien reportedly made remarks such as, I'm sorry Hitler didn't
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  Speaker 1: finish the job. He was found guilty. by the Avignon
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  Speaker 1: Criminal Court of attempting to justify crimes against humanity and
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  Speaker 1: making death threats aggravated by their antisemitic nature. O'Brien received
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  Speaker 1: a six-month suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay
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  Speaker 1: the victims and Jewish humanitarian groups damages. Prosecutors had sought
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  Speaker 1: a ban from French territory, which the court declined. A
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  Speaker 1: spokesperson for Char, Campaign Against Hate, Antisemitism and Racism, welcomed
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  Speaker 1: the verdict but stated the punishment was insufficient. arguing it
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  Speaker 1: trivializes such acts. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had previously
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  Speaker 1: praised the investigation into the antisemitic threats. A comprehensive report
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  Speaker 1: from Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism highlights a pervasive
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  Speaker 1: and escalating problem of antisemitism within the state's K-12 public schools.
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  Speaker 1: According to the report, there has been a stark increase
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  Speaker 1: in incidents of hate, bullying, harassment, and discrimination. particularly following
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  Speaker 1: the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. The report found
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  Speaker 1: that many Jewish students in Massachusetts schools are now scared
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  Speaker 1: to publicly display their Judaism or identify as Jewish for
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  Speaker 1: fear of bullying or disparate treatment. Commissioners David Friedman and
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  Speaker 1: Robert Lakind presented the findings, with Mayor Mark Laredo emphasizing
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  Speaker 1: the community's obligation to be informed and clear-eyed about the
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  Speaker 1: reality and prevalence of antisemitism. The report also noted that
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  Speaker 1: existing anti-bias programs often lack specific information and training on antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: Katharina von Schnurbin has taken office as Germany's new Federal
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  Speaker 1: Commissioner for Jewish Life and the fight against antisemitism. Her
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  Speaker 1: appointment follows a period of record antisemitic incidents in the country.
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  Speaker 1: The German Interior Ministry announced her selection on October 14.
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  Speaker 1: Von Schnurbin, who previously served as the European Commission's coordinator
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  Speaker 1: on combating antisemitism, stated she approaches her new role with determination.
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  Speaker 1: She noted that many Jews no longer feel safe and
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  Speaker 1: conceal their identity. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described her
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  Speaker 1: as a proven expert. Data from the monitoring organization RIAS
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  Speaker 1: documented 8,725 antisemitic incidents in Germany in 2025, an increase
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  Speaker 1: from 8,000 627 in 2024, and more than triple the
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  Speaker 1: number recorded in 2022, with 68% of incidents linked to Israel.
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  Speaker 1: UC San Diego has taken steps to address antisemitism on campus,
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  Speaker 1: establishing an antisemitism workgroup, in May 2025. A report detailing
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  Speaker 1: 10 months of review and analysis was published in October 2026.
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  Speaker 1: Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla stated the workgroup's aim was to
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  Speaker 1: foster a safer, more inclusive, and equitable environment for the
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  Speaker 1: university's Jewish students, faculty, staff, and patients. The workgroup's foundational
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  Speaker 1: efforts will continue through a newly established advisory committee on
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  Speaker 1: Jewish life. The Chancellor pledged prompt and effective action, consistent
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  Speaker 1: with the report's recommendations. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for
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  Speaker 1: listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York,
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  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch.
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  Speaker 1: midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org slash ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your
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  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. This
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  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.