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NYC Vandalism Tied to Sanctioned Group Cites "Genocide" · 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, with focused coverage from New York,
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  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region. Find us at clockworkmedia.org
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  Speaker 1: slash m. A, we begin today with acts of vandalism
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  Speaker 1: in New York City that carry antisemitic undertones. According to
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  Speaker 1: the Anti-Defamation League, a Capital One Bank branch in Manhattan
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  Speaker 1: was spray-painted on October 19th with the slogans, Drop Elbit,
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  Speaker 1: and PAL Action. Palestine Action, an international anti-Israel group sanctioned
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  Speaker 1: by the US Treasury in August 2026, claimed responsibility, calling
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  Speaker 1: the incident the price of complicity in genocide. Days earlier,
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  Speaker 1: OMNY subway payment system readers in Brooklyn were destroyed, with
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  Speaker 1: flyers accusing the developer, Cubic, of ties to Israel and stating,
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  Speaker 1: Mass surveillance AT home, genocide abroad, every time you tap,
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  Speaker 1: you're sending money to a war profiteer. The ADL reported
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  Speaker 1: that such actions by anti-Israel activists, targeting companies perceived to
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  Speaker 1: do business with Israel, can manifest antisemitic patterns, including demonization
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  Speaker 1: and collective blame, aligning with IHRA's contemporary examples. In Michigan's U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Senate race, Democratic candidate Abdel El-Sayed is facing renewed pressure
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  Speaker 1: from a coalition of rabbis, Democratic officials, and Jewish civic leaders.
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  Speaker 1: The group Non-Negotiable Michigan is has expressed concern over his
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  Speaker 1: silence regarding their petition and his past statements about Israel.
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  Speaker 1: As reported by the Al Jameener and VIN News, El-Sayed
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  Speaker 1: recently stated in an ABC News interview that Israel is
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  Speaker 1: not actually our friend. And the coalition points to previous
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  Speaker 1: remarks attributed to him that describe Israelis as bloodthirsty and
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  Speaker 1: characterize American support for Israel as purchased loyalty. VIN News
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  Speaker 1: also highlighted discussions on a podcast featuring Australian journalist Aaron Mullen,
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  Speaker 1: who raised concerns about El-Sayed's political associations and the red-green
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  Speaker 1: alliance of Islamist and far-left groups opposing Israel and Western institutions.
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  Speaker 1: Across the Atlantic, the UK's Education Secretary Lucy Powell has
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  Speaker 1: announced that all schools and colleges will be directed to
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  Speaker 1: adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: This directive, reported by Newscord.org, follows a review that documented
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  Speaker 1: a rise in antisemitic incidents in English educational institutions. However,
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  Speaker 1: the National Education Union, the UK's largest teaching union, has
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  Speaker 1: criticised this mandate. The NEU argues that the IHRA definition,
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  Speaker 1: with its emphasis on Israel-related examples, risks blurring the lines
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  Speaker 1: between legitimate criticism of Israeli government policy and antisemitism. potentially
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  Speaker 1: stifling classroom debate. A Republican-led House committee report has alleged
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  Speaker 1: that Philadelphia schools teach antisemitism and radical ideologies, including instructing
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  Speaker 1: students to hate Israel. The House Education and Workforce Committee
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  Speaker 1: based its findings on curriculum analysis and employee social media,
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  Speaker 1: according to the Inquirer. District officials dispute these allegations, with
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  Speaker 1: a spokesperson calling the report a blatantly partisan framing. The
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  Speaker 1: Philadelphia School District previously entered into a settlement with the U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Department of Education concerning anti-Semitism claims and committed to improved
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  Speaker 1: anti-discrimination training. At the University of Pittsburgh, scrutiny continues over
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  Speaker 1: the process behind a campus anti-Semitism report. The Jewish Telegraphic
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  Speaker 1: Agency reports that while university officials confirmed some Jewish students
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  Speaker 1: were interviewed, specifics remain confidential, prompting concern. A university spokesperson
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  Speaker 1: stated that interviews were conducted with community members who had
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  Speaker 1: experienced antisemitism, but details on methodology or incorporation of feedback
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  Speaker 1: were withheld due to confidentiality. A source familiar with the
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  Speaker 1: working group disputed the university's account, telling JTA that members
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  Speaker 1: were not presented with evidence of interviews with Jewish students
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  Speaker 1: outside the committee. In more immediate reports, Cron4. com stated that
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  Speaker 1: a swastika was found at a North Bay school minutes ago. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: reporting from Powerline highlights a dispute between commentators, with Nick
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  Speaker 1: Fuentes publicly accusing Tucker Carlson of rabid antisemitism and Israel
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  Speaker 1: derangement syndrome. Canada is also reassessing its approach to antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: Reporting from ka.news.yahoo.com and Canada.ka indicates that a recent government
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  Speaker 1: report acknowledged antisemitism includes anti-Zionism. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasingheri
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  Speaker 1: later clarified that not all criticism of Zionism or Israel
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  Speaker 1: constitutes anti-Semitism, though details on how anti-Semitic anti-Zionist acts will
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  Speaker 1: be categorized are still pending. Canada has appointed a new
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  Speaker 1: head of delegation to the IHRA and developed a handbook
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  Speaker 1: using Canadian examples to identify anti-Semitism. In New York City,
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  Speaker 1: a Halloween decoration was removed from Amazon after a complaint
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  Speaker 1: from the city council's anti-Semitism task force. The New York
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  Speaker 1: Post reported that an animatronic witch featuring a Star of
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  Speaker 1: David on its spellbook was pulled after the task force
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  Speaker 1: cited concerns that the imagery could be perceived as demeaning
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  Speaker 1: and potentially incite violence. Looking ahead to the US midterm elections,
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  Speaker 1: a poll by the Jewish Voters Resource Center reported by
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  Speaker 1: the Jewish Exponent indicates 67% of American Jewish voters plan
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  Speaker 1: to support Democrats, aligning with historical trends. While affordability and
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  Speaker 1: democracy are primary concerns, 89% of respondents expressed worry about
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism in the country. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was also
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  Speaker 1: quoted emphasizing the need for leaders to condemn blatant antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: turning to community responses that together at the Crossroads, Summit,
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  Speaker 1: organized by the David Marriage Foundation, focused on fighting antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: and building partnerships. CBS12. com reported that the summit highlighted the
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  Speaker 1: Anti-Defamation League's 2025 statistics, noting 6,274 antisemitic incidents in the U.S.,
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  Speaker 1: including 203 physical assaults. Colorado Governor Jared Polis also spoke
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  Speaker 1: on the impact of antisemitic violence. Strategies discussed included education,
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  Speaker 1: Holocaust awareness, media literacy, and interfaith dialogue, stressing that silence
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  Speaker 1: allows hatred to grow. In San Diego, progress continues toward
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  Speaker 1: establishing a permanent Holocaust museum. The San Diego Jewish World
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  Speaker 1: reports that the organization Remember Us the Holocaust has signed
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  Speaker 1: a letter of intent with the Arts District at Liberty Station,
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  Speaker 1: advancing efforts to preserve Holocaust history and educate future generations
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  Speaker 1: about antisemitism. Finally, Israeli filmmaker Sharon Pies is creating short
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  Speaker 1: animated documentaries using the voices of Holocaust survivors and their
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  Speaker 1: treasured objects to connect younger generations with their stories, as
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  Speaker 1: detailed by Anit. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening
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  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
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  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: Watch in your podcast app so you don't miss the
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  Speaker 1: next update. This report was generated with AI assistance and
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  Speaker 1: may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.