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Williamsburg Buses Targeted with Hate · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: Good morning and thank you for joining us. This is
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  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Watch. Today we're covering a rash of antisemitic vandalism,
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  Speaker 1: escalating concerns on college campuses, and sharp commentary from world leaders.
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  Speaker 1: In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, early Monday morning, November 2, 2026, four
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  Speaker 1: Jewish school buses were vandalized with swastikas and antisemitic messages,
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  Speaker 1: according to vinnews.com and thejpost.com. The graffiti included phrases like
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  Speaker 1: America First and Free Palestine. The NYPD's Hate Crime Task
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  Speaker 1: Force is investigating the incident, which targeted buses belonging to
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  Speaker 1: the Satmar, Sants-Glossenburg, and Taifers Yisrael communities. NYC Council member
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  Speaker 1: Lincoln Ressler called the act truly obscene, and New York
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  Speaker 1: Attorney General Letitia James stated, Antisemitism and hate have no
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  Speaker 1: home in New York. No arrests have been reported as
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  Speaker 1: of this broadcast. Meanwhile, Jewish students at Solon Middle School
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  Speaker 1: and Solon High School in Ohio were reportedly targeted with
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  Speaker 1: anti-Semitic taunts, Nazi salutes, and Holocaust denial during a school
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  Speaker 1: cultural event in late October 2026, the Cleveland Jewish News reported.
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  Speaker 1: Students shared concerns with the school board, recounting phrases like,
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  Speaker 1: Heil Hitler, and instances where a classmate suggested only 150,000
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  Speaker 1: people were affected by the Holocaust. a statement a teacher
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  Speaker 1: did not correct. The Cleveland Jewish News noted the ongoing
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  Speaker 1: work by local institutions like the Maltz Museum to combat hate.
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  Speaker 1: On Canadian campuses, a sharp escalation of antisemitism has been documented.
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  Speaker 1: A federal report by the Association for Canadian Studies and
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  Speaker 1: the Metropolis Institute, known as the Case Report, detailed severe
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  Speaker 1: campus climate challenges and institutional betrayal for Jewish students. According
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  Speaker 1: to the report, Jewish Canadians accounted for 68% of reported
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  Speaker 1: religiously motivated hate crimes in 2024. In response, Universities Canada
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  Speaker 1: announced a coordinated five-point action plan to address the issue,
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  Speaker 1: which was welcomed by the Centre for Israel and Jewish
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  Speaker 1: Affairs and Jewish Federations across Canada. In international politics, Switzerland's
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  Speaker 1: Independent Authority for the Examination of Complaints in Radio and Television,
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  Speaker 1: or AIEP, ruled that commentary by Swiss public broadcaster RTS
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  Speaker 1: during the 2026 Olympics was discriminatory. The AIEP found that
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  Speaker 1: commentator Stefan Renner conveyed a stigmatising and discriminatory message by
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  Speaker 1: discussing Israeli bobsleigh pilot Adam Edelman's social media posts supporting
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  Speaker 1: Israel's military actions, referring to him as self-defined Zionist to
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  Speaker 1: the core, and alleging support of the genocide in Gaza.
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  Speaker 1: The AIEP stated Renner's comments violated the prohibition of discrimination.
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  Speaker 1: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivered a strong address against rising antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: declaring that tolerance for Jew hatred disqualifies any political party
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  Speaker 1: from holding power in Germany, as reported by JFeed.com. Steinmeier
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  Speaker 1: emphasized that fighting antisemitism is a fundamental condition for political legitimacy.
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  Speaker 1: stating that calls for death to Jews or Israel's destruction
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  Speaker 1: must find no place in any political party. He also
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  Speaker 1: addressed antisemitism, masked as criticism of the Middle East conflict,
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  Speaker 1: which denies Israel's right to exist or calls for violence.
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  Speaker 1: The New York Post reported on an argument that the
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  Speaker 1: Democratic Party is undergoing a fundamental, antisemitic transformation. The article
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  Speaker 1: cites the intense reaction from party leadership, including Chuck Schumer
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  Speaker 1: and Nancy Pelosi, towards Representative Haley Stevens for withdrawing her
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  Speaker 1: endorsement of Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed due to his alleged anti-Semitism.
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  Speaker 1: The piece suggests an infiltration of the party by a
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  Speaker 1: socialist Islamic alliance. Also concerning political figures, California State Senator
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  Speaker 1: Scott Weiner is facing scrutiny over his credibility regarding the
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  Speaker 1: Gaza ceasefire. Dropsite News reported that Weiner claimed to have
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  Speaker 1: supported a ceasefire since November 2023. despite allegedly opposing a
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  Speaker 1: ceasefire resolution in December 2023 and lobbying against it. Wiener
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  Speaker 1: also played a role in holding up funding for ethnic
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  Speaker 1: studies programs over concerns about anti-Jewish and anti-Israel bias. In Massachusetts,
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  Speaker 1: Secretary of State candidate Anne Brentsley has decided to hire
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  Speaker 1: security for Election Day due to ongoing anti-Semitic comments and threats,
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  Speaker 1: including an online anti-Jewish caricature, as reported by the Fall
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  Speaker 1: River Reporter. Brentsley stated that antisemitism has become more vile
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  Speaker 1: and more bold. Analysis of upcoming US midterm races suggests
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  Speaker 1: that anti-Zionism and issues surrounding Israel may alter Jewish-American voting
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  Speaker 1: patterns in key contests, according to the Times of Israel
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  Speaker 1: and Jewish Rhody. The race involving Abdul El-Sayed and AIPAC
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  Speaker 1: is highlighted. In policy news, the UK government faces a
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  Speaker 1: legal challenge from the Good Law Project over its efforts
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  Speaker 1: to have English schools Adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance,
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  Speaker 1: or IHRA, Definition of Antisemitism. Critics argue, as reported by
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  Speaker 1: The National, that the definition conflates criticism of Israel with
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  Speaker 1: anti-Jewish hate. Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Jew Hatred, Gillian Segal,
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  Speaker 1: has identified modern, progressive, antisemitism as the most prevalent form,
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  Speaker 1: particularly within influential institutions. JNS.org reported that Segel's findings link
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  Speaker 1: this sentiment to the vilification of Jewish Australians for the
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  Speaker 1: actions of the Israeli government and recommends universities adopt the
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  Speaker 1: IHRA definition. Security remains a paramount concern for Jewish communities.
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  Speaker 1: Following a September 20 attack described as a thwarted mass
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  Speaker 1: killing at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario,
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  Speaker 1: survivors are emphasizing the need for costly security upgrades, including
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  Speaker 1: bullet-resistant glass and safe rooms, that existing federal programs may
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  Speaker 1: not fully cover, according to the Canadian Press and the
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  Speaker 1: Chronicle Journal. Survivors noted that such measures are necessary not
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  Speaker 1: only for physical safety, but also to deter attackers and
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  Speaker 1: allow congregants to feel comfortable returning. Finally, in case outcomes,
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  Speaker 1: a former staffer for Abdul El-Sayed is among a group
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  Speaker 1: indicted for antisemitic threats and vandalism at the University of Michigan,
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  Speaker 1: which has seen protests in recent years, the National Review reported.
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  Speaker 1: For focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch, midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: slash ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so
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  Speaker 1: you don't miss the next update. This report was generated
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  Speaker 1: with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important
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  Speaker 1: details with primary sources.