Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Federal Charges in NYC Jewish Hate Crime Attacks

Transcript

Federal Charges in NYC Jewish Hate Crime Attacks · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We're also
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: launching Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, focusing on New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region. Find out more at clockworkmedia.org slash
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: m a this week. Federal hate crime charges have been
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: brought against a suspect in the alleged stabbing of two
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Jewish men in Manhattan's Diamond District. According to the New
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: York Daily News, 32-year-old Anna Mokalova was charged with federal
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: hate crimes for the anti-Semitic attacks. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jamie
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: McDonald stated that Mokalova deliberately and viciously targeted Jewish victims
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: with violence, adding that she allegedly stabbed the men specifically
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: because they were Jewish. The attacks occurred on October 21,
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: involving a syringe-like object with unknown contents. Gothamist reports that
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: prosecutors described Mokalova as having approached the first victim, who
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: was wearing traditional Hasidic attire, before stabbing him in the back.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: A short time later, she allegedly bumped into another Jewish man,
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: stabbing him in the forearm while shouting, Run away, I
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: have a gun. News 12 New York confirms the federal
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years. NYPD Commissioner
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: Jessica Tisch said Mokalova's actions struck fear in an entire community,
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: calling the hate crime a message written in violence. In Germany,
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: the nation's newly appointed Federal Antisemitism Commissioner, Katharina von Schnurbin,
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: has issued a stark warning about a resurgence of open,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: brazen anti-Jewish hatred. In an interview with Rhenish Post, von
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Schnurbin stated, We have reached a point that has probably
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: never existed since the Holocaust. She noted that while antisemitism
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: never disappeared, those making such statements now no longer fear
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: any consequences. Aljaminer reports that von Schnurbin, who officially took
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: office on Wednesday, emphasized that antisemitism threatens not only Jewish life,
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: but also Germany's democracy. Data from Germany's Federal Association of
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism, RIAS, indicates that 8,725
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: antisemitic incidents were recorded nationwide in 2025, marking a significant
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: surge from previous years. Allegations have surfaced regarding the conduct
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: of Leo Terrell, chair of the Department of Justice's task
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: force to combat antisemitism. A Harvard Crimson investigation, detailed by L.A. Mag,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: reveals claims from former interns who allege Terrell threatened them
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: both physically and professionally. According to the report, Terrell is
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: accused of verbally abusing interns, isolating them, and making threats,
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: including one instance where he allegedly threatened to choke an
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: intern with a computer charger. Notably, all the interns who
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: spoke to the Crimson and experienced the alleged harassment were Jewish.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: In the political arena, a coalition of rabbis affiliated with
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: non-negotiable Michigan has called on Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: El-Sayed to take a stronger stance against political advertisements they
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: argue invoke anti-Semitic stereotypes. Aljamina reports that the rabbis specifically
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: demanded El-Sayed condemn a campaign advertisement featuring conservative commentator Tucker
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: Carlson and an ad produced by Rebellion PAC, an outside
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: group supporting his candidacy. The Rebellion Pack ad reportedly suggests
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: that money spent on US support for Israel is taken
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: from funds needed for daily necessities, stating, To set that
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: $ 7 aside for killing Palestinians, comedian Nabil Abdel-Rashid has faced
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: condemnation from Jewish charity groups following comments made during a
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: stand-up set in London. GB News reports that Abdel-Rashid, during
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: a bit about languages, targeted a Hebrew-speaking attendee by asking,
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: How do you say original occupant in Hebrew? Before chanting,
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Gaza till I die. The campaign against antisemitism stated, when
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: Jews are the butt of a joke simply because of
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: who they are, you know your society has taken a
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: disastrous turn. In Australia, Creative Australia has reportedly written to
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: the National Association for the Visual Arts Seeking Assurances Amid
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Concerns About Antisemitism Within the Arts Sector, as noted by
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: The Australian. This indicates significant issues in governance and community relations.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: In the United Kingdom, following over a decade of advocacy
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, the Crown Prosecution Service, CPS,
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: has agreed to record and publish figures for prosecutions of
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: antisemitic hate crime. Antisemitism.org described this as a belated, much-needed
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: change that will improve transparency and accountability. In Canada, a
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: report from Thehub.ca suggests that the country's complaint system is
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: designed to obscure rather than address workplace antisemitism, citing resolution
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: processes that discourage public accountability for incidents such as swastikas
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: drawn on desks. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: a commission aimed at educating students and the public about
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: the Holocaust amid a rise in antisemitism in the state
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: and nationwide, according to the governor's official website and JTA reporting. Meanwhile,
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: a Republican congressional candidate in Florida, Scott Singer, has pledged
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: to strengthen federal protections against anti-Semitism. VIN News reports that
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: Singer proposed codifying the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: into federal law and expanding security funding for Jewish institutions.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: At the UN Human Rights Council, Yemeni journalist Louh Ahmed
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: shared his personal journey, detailing how his visit to Israel
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: after October 7 shattered antisemitic teachings he received in Yemen
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: since childhood. UN Watch reported that Ahmed recounted being taught
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: in a mosque at age nine to pray for the
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: death of Jews and Zionists. But his experiences in Israel
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: revealed a different reality, leading him to conclude that Zionism
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: means the Jewish people's right to a country. In community responses,
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: 11 Holocaust survivors from Montreal traveled to Ottawa to advocate
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: for the Jewish community and demand more action against antisemitism,
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: the Suburban reported. They met with senators and MPs, emphasizing
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: the need for accountability and challenging the government's commitment in practice.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: A Chabad Jew who was stabbed in an incident described
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: as a hate crime demonstrated significant resilience, returning the next
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: day to continue his religious practice of rapping tefillin, according
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: to Jewish Voices of New Jersey. Finally, actor Mandy Patinkin
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: has publicly advocated for Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed,
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: stating that, Jewish safety depends on a real multiracial democracy,
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: and that El-Sayed is the candidate fighting to protect it.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: WFMD reports that Patinkin drew parallels between criticism of El-Sayed
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: and historical treatment of Jewish people. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region, listen
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. MidAtlantic at ClockworkMedia.org.ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.