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NYC Mayor Mamdani's Antisemitism Plan Sparks Controversy · 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, offering focused coverage from New York,
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  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region. You can find
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  Speaker 1: it at clockworkmedia.org slash MA in New York City. Mayor
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  Speaker 1: Zoran Mamdani's new $ 30 million plan to combat antisemitism is
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  Speaker 1: drawing significant criticism. As reported by Fox News and The Forward,
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  Speaker 1: A key point of contention is a $ 6. 4 million grant
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  Speaker 1: to Partners Against Hate, which partners with the Arab American
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  Speaker 1: Association of New York. Critics argue this indirectly funds a
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  Speaker 1: group formerly led by Linda Sarsour, which has been critical
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  Speaker 1: of U.S.-Israel relations. Mamdani's administration faces skepticism from Jewish communities,
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  Speaker 1: particularly as the plan does not adopt a definition of antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: a move that has divided the mayor and much of
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  Speaker 1: the city's Jewish population. According to a poll cited by
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  Speaker 1: The Forward, 65% of New York City's Jewish voters disapprove
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  Speaker 1: of Mayor Mamdani's handling of antisemitism. In contrast, Police Commissioner
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  Speaker 1: Jessica Tisch, who has strongly supported Israel and is widely
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  Speaker 1: respected in the Jewish community, received a 75% approval rating
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  Speaker 1: among Jewish respondents. This comes amid a reported 13% rise
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  Speaker 1: in hate crimes across the city in the first nine
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  Speaker 1: months of 2026, with anti-Semitic acts accounting for the largest
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  Speaker 1: portion of recorded hate crimes, according to NYPD reporting, detailed
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  Speaker 1: by Fox News. Around the world, European leaders have been
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  Speaker 1: marking the third anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks.
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  Speaker 1: As reported by J-Post, JNS, and other outlets, leaders including
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  Speaker 1: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission Vice President Kajakalas, and
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  Speaker 1: French President Emmanuel Macron have reaffirmed their solidarity with Israel,
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  Speaker 1: and condemned the attacks as barbaric acts of terror. Chancellor
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  Speaker 1: Merz stated, according to JNS, we must confront antisemitism with
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  Speaker 1: even greater determination. Jewish people should be able to live
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  Speaker 1: here without fear. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker described the attack,
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  Speaker 1: as noted by Demokrata, as the largest massacre of Jewish
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  Speaker 1: women and Jewish men since the Holocaust. These leaders have
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  Speaker 1: pledged to combat rising antisemitism across the continent. On American campuses,
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  Speaker 1: Harvard University has been navigating allegations of antisemitism. The Christian
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  Speaker 1: Science Monitor reports that amid pressure from the Trump administration
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  Speaker 1: and a slew of lawsuits, Harvard adopted a public stance
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  Speaker 1: of defiance and did not capitulate in court, while a
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  Speaker 1: federal judge dismissed a government lawsuit over the summer, citing
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  Speaker 1: incidents as isolated and episodic. The university has implemented reforms
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  Speaker 1: to combat antisemitism and elevate free speech. The report indicates
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  Speaker 1: a more nuanced campus climate now, though conversations about Zionism
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  Speaker 1: and Israel remain fraught, and antisemitism still rears its head,
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  Speaker 1: according to Jewish students and campus rabbis. In commentary, Israeli
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  Speaker 1: historian and political commentator Gadi Taub sharply criticized progressive Jews abroad.
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  Speaker 1: Speaking at NatCon Jerusalem, as reported by J-Post, Taub stated
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  Speaker 1: that those embracing, craziest progressive ideologies are no longer our friends.
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  Speaker 1: and are contributing to Israel losing political support. He warned
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  Speaker 1: that parts of the Western left have become increasingly hostile
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  Speaker 1: to Zionism. In European politics, coalition talks for Elif Eralp
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  Speaker 1: to potentially become Berlin's next mayor have become complicated by
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  Speaker 1: concerns over antisemitism. Politico.eu reports that the left party, which
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  Speaker 1: Eralp leads, has faced accusations of being a hotbed of antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: partly due to its strong opposition to Israel's war in Gaza.
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  Speaker 1: Coalition partners are demanding binding agreements to condemn antisemitism and
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  Speaker 1: affirm Israel's right to exist. Adding to the international picture,
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  Speaker 1: Israel's ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, stated that antisemitism has
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  Speaker 1: risen significantly in France and Europe since the October 7 attacks,
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  Speaker 1: according to reporting reviewed for this episode. Turning to community
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  Speaker 1: responses and positive developments, a surge in demand for Jewish
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  Speaker 1: education is being observed worldwide. The J-Post reports that following
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  Speaker 1: the increase in global antisemitism exacerbated by the October 7th attacks,
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  Speaker 1: Jewish schools are experiencing rising enrollment, particularly from families who
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  Speaker 1: previously opted for secular education. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, a
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  Speaker 1: woman is organizing a massive aid effort fueled by grief
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  Speaker 1: following an attack in Israel, where one assailant was charged
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  Speaker 1: with bias intimidation, according to NorthJersey.com. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from
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  Speaker 1: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region, listen
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  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. MidAtlantic at ClockworkMedia.org.ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in
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  Speaker 1: your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
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  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources. Thank you.