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NY Governor Debate: Mamdani Labeled 'Antisemite' · 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. You can find us at clockworkmedia.org
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  Speaker 1: slash MA today. We're tracking escalating political rhetoric, campus employment controversies,
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  Speaker 1: and significant policy discussions. In New York, the gubernatorial race
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  Speaker 1: is seeing sharp accusations of antisemitism. During a televised debate,
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  Speaker 1: Nassau County Executive and Republican nominee Bruce Blakeman directly called
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  Speaker 1: New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani an antisemite, as reported
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  Speaker 1: by JewishLink News. Blakeman, who is Jewish, accused Governor Kathy
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  Speaker 1: Hochul of campaigning around Mamdani, a figure who has faced
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  Speaker 1: criticism from New York Jewish leaders. According to JewishLink News,
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  Speaker 1: Blakeman criticized Mamdani for signing an executive order to water
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  Speaker 1: down the definition of antisemitism and for his rhetoric. Governor
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  Speaker 1: Hochul's campaign defended her record combating antisemitism, according to jpost.com. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: in a congressional race, Democrat Kate Conley was pressured by
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  Speaker 1: Republican opponent Mike Lawler to condemn Mamdani's statement on the
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  Speaker 1: October 7th attacks and the subsequent conflict in Gaza. The
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  Speaker 1: New York Post reported that Conley repeatedly dodged the question
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  Speaker 1: before finally denouncing Mamdani's remarks, which Lawler characterized as antisemitic.
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani's statement, according to the Post, paid brief homage to
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  Speaker 1: the 1,200 killed in the October 7 attack before focusing
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  Speaker 1: on the genocide in Gaza. On the national stage, Senator
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  Speaker 1: Ted Cruz shared concerns about rising antisemitism within the Republican
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  Speaker 1: Party's younger base. In comments reported by uk.news.yahoo.com and thurep.com,
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  Speaker 1: Cruz told the Wall Street Journal he's seen more antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: on the right in the last two years than at
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  Speaker 1: any point in my lifetime. He linked this to movements
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  Speaker 1: like Groyperism, led by figures such as Nick Fuentes, and
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  Speaker 1: noted difficulties hiring staff due to his pro-Israel stance. TheWrap.com
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  Speaker 1: also notes commentary from Tucker Carlson criticizing President Trump's support
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  Speaker 1: for Israel. Cleveland Jewish News notes a surge in antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: following the October 7th attacks, attributing it to toxic ideologies
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  Speaker 1: and propaganda campaigns. On college campuses... A rabbi was fired
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  Speaker 1: from her position at Emory University's Hillel over her fiancé' s
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  Speaker 1: social media posts critical of Israel. Jewish Currents reported that
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  Speaker 1: Hillels of Georgia terminated Rabbi Nikki Gollum's employment just weeks
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  Speaker 1: after she started, citing her relationship with Sam Stein, who
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  Speaker 1: frequently posts from the West Bank about Israeli military actions
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  Speaker 1: and settler violence against Palestinians. Gollum described the firing as
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  Speaker 1: guilt by association. stating it was not about her own politics.
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  Speaker 1: Hillel's of Georgia CEO Larry Cernovitz reportedly expressed concerns about
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  Speaker 1: potential funding cuts from Major Donor the Marcus Foundation. At
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  Speaker 1: the University of Pennsylvania, the newly operational Center for Civil
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  Speaker 1: Rights has drawn scrutiny. According to THEDP.com, the center merges
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  Speaker 1: Penn's Title VI and Title IX offices, a move critiqued
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  Speaker 1: as a response to federal pressure over accusations of antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: and Title IX violations, rather than a genuine effort to
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  Speaker 1: support students or foster cultural reform. Former U.S. President Barack
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  Speaker 1: Obama drew criticism for remarks made in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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  Speaker 1: Aljamina reported that Obama stated Jews took land from Palestinians
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  Speaker 1: during Israel's founding and that military strength alone does not
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  Speaker 1: guarantee security. While acknowledging Jewish persecution, his comments on land
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  Speaker 1: acquisition angered supporters of the Jewish state. Also, nearly 100
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  Speaker 1: Jewish early childhood educators from the U.S. cancelled a planned
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  Speaker 1: study trip to Reggio Emilia, Italy. Aljaminer reports this was
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  Speaker 1: prompted by a demand to sign a statement condemning Israel's
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  Speaker 1: military campaign in Gaza. The mayor of Reggio Emilia apologized,
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  Speaker 1: calling the demand a mistake, but rejected accusations of antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: In policy news, Pennsylvania is moving towards formally defining antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: State Senator Judy Schwenk is reintroducing a bill that would
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  Speaker 1: adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition. Governor Josh
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  Speaker 1: Shapiro has committed to signing the bill if it passes
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  Speaker 1: the legislature, according to JNS.org and ClevelandJewishNews.com. Schwenk emphasized the
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  Speaker 1: legislative approach demonstrates commitment and will aid law enforcement in
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  Speaker 1: identifying hate crimes. The Trump administration's efforts to combat antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: have also drawn commentary. Jpost.com and Haaretz.com reported on an
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  Speaker 1: event in Michigan where President Trump addressed attendees via video.
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  Speaker 1: The event, part of Leo Terrell's American tour against hate,
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  Speaker 1: was criticized by progressive Michigan Jewish leaders. They stated it
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  Speaker 1: risked fueling anti-Semitism and dividing the Jewish community, calling it
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  Speaker 1: a political tactic, and criticizing the administration's link to the
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  Speaker 1: Zionist Organization of America, which was soliciting donations via a
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  Speaker 1: registration page. The Justice Department's promotion of this page was
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  Speaker 1: also noted. Finally, a strong community response to a hate
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  Speaker 1: incident in San Anselmo, California. Marinage.com reports that following the
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  Speaker 1: spray painting of a swastika and hateful language on playground
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  Speaker 1: pavement at Brookside Elementary School, a gathering organized by local
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  Speaker 1: leaders drew over 200 people to stand against hate. Jewish
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  Speaker 1: community members praised the overwhelming support and allyship, stating it
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  Speaker 1: made them feel at home. Police have identified two juvenile
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  Speaker 1: suspects in the vandalism. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for
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  Speaker 1: listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch.
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: MidAtlantic at ClockworkMedia.org.ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app
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  Speaker 1: so you don't miss the next update. This report was
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  Speaker 1: generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify
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  Speaker 1: important details with primary sources.