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Manchester Synagogue Attack Inquiry Announced · 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: us at clockworkmedia.org slash m, a we begin with serious
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  Speaker 1: developments in the UK. JTA reports that UK Home Secretary
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  Speaker 1: Shabana Mahmood has announced a public inquiry into the October 2, 2025,
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  Speaker 1: Terror attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester.
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  Speaker 1: Two Jewish men, Melvin Kravitz and Adrian Dolby, were killed
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  Speaker 1: in the attack when Jihad al-Shaimi rammed a car into
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  Speaker 1: worshippers and then stabbed two people. Dolby was killed by
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  Speaker 1: police fire while blocking the synagogue doors. Al-Shaimi, who reportedly
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  Speaker 1: cited ISIS, was killed by police. The inquiry aims to
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  Speaker 1: ensure all evidence, including sensitive national security material, can be heard.
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  Speaker 1: Greater Manchester Police's chief constable had previously apologised for a
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  Speaker 1: missed opportunity to uncover the plot, as al-Shami's mobile devices
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  Speaker 1: were not examined until after the attack. Home Secretary Mahmood
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  Speaker 1: also noted a rise in hate crimes against Jewish people
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  Speaker 1: in England and Wales, up 10% in the year ending
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  Speaker 1: in March, and stated the government is committed to rooting
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  Speaker 1: out antisemitism. Separately, the ADL reports that the J7 task force,
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  Speaker 1: comprising major Jewish organizations from around the world, met with
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  Speaker 1: Irish Taoiseach Mitchell Martin and Secretary General Joe Hackett. The
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  Speaker 1: J7 warned of rising antisemitism in Ireland, stating that conditions
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  Speaker 1: for an antisemitic terrorist attack are evident and urging immediate action.
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  Speaker 1: They linked the surge in antisemitism to the demonization of Israel,
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  Speaker 1: noting that increasingly hostile environments for Jews can lead to
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  Speaker 1: deadly violence, citing past incidents in Bondi, Manchester, Boulder, and Washington, D.C.
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  Speaker 1: On campus, the algeminar details concerns raised by social psychologist
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  Speaker 1: Shai Davidai regarding antisemitism at Columbia University. Davidai's book, American
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  Speaker 1: Intellectual Antisemitism, documents instances including his university ID being deactivated
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  Speaker 1: while attempting to enter an encampment, officials' refusal to condemn Hamas,
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  Speaker 1: and students' antisemitic statements. He recorded officials like Chief Operating
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  Speaker 1: Officer Cass Holloway when they would not explicitly state Hamas
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  Speaker 1: is a terrorist organization. Colombia reportedly barred Davidai from campus
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  Speaker 1: for alleged harassment, requiring sensitivity training and a gag order.
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  Speaker 1: The article also cites students chanting, Zionists don't deserve to live,
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  Speaker 1: and a Jewish student being told, It's such a shame
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  Speaker 1: that your people survived in order to commit mass genocide.
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  Speaker 1: An imam was also quoted saying that, If you're able
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  Speaker 1: to take out somebody like that and make an example,
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  Speaker 1: that might shut up a hundred more. David I. analyzes
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  Speaker 1: this as Jew hate that cloaks itself in progressive jargon
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  Speaker 1: and academic rhetoric. VIN News reports that a religion professor
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  Speaker 1: at Haverford College, Guangxin Ha, was arrested and charged with
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  Speaker 1: cyberstalking a Jewish colleague. Prosecutors allege Ha used anonymous social media,
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  Speaker 1: accounts to send dozens of threatening and antisemitic messages, between
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  Speaker 1: October 2025 and May 2026, including calls for extermination and
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  Speaker 1: references to Hitler and the Holocaust. Ha is accused of
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  Speaker 1: publishing the colleague's home address and identifying an infant child
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  Speaker 1: by name. The colleague's family reportedly left their home twice
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  Speaker 1: due to the threats. Haverford College has placed Professor Ha
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  Speaker 1: on administrative leave and barred him from campus. In other
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  Speaker 1: campus news, Fox News featured Natalia Murakfer, executive director of
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  Speaker 1: Restore Childhood, discussing the rise of antisemitism in public schools
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  Speaker 1: and her decision to withdraw her children due to toxic ideology. Law360. com
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  Speaker 1: reports a lawsuit claims Harvard University fired a Jewish worker
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  Speaker 1: due to religious bias. In Montgomery County, four school board
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  Speaker 1: candidates have called for more antisemitism training following the discovery
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  Speaker 1: of a swastika on a classroom desk. In politics, the
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  Speaker 1: New York Post reports on a dispute on Long Island
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  Speaker 1: where Republican Assembly candidate David Hassid accused his Democratic opponent,
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  Speaker 1: Kim Kaiserman, of bankrolling anti-Israel politicians. Hassid's campaign highlighted Kaiserman's
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  Speaker 1: donations to figures like Senator Raphael Warnock and James Telerico,
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  Speaker 1: claiming Warnock is anti-Semitic based on a sermon. Kaiserman's campaign
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  Speaker 1: stated she has spent her career fighting bigotry and anti-Semitism. Internationally, JFeed.com
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  Speaker 1: reports that climate activist Greta Thunberg appeared at violent student
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  Speaker 1: protests in Paris wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh. French media noted
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  Speaker 1: her presence, with one TV host questioning the keffiyeh's relevance
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  Speaker 1: to student grievances. In institutional and policy responses, Reuters, AOL,
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  Speaker 1: and US News report that Germany's Greens and centre-left Social
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  Speaker 1: Democrats suspended exploratory coalition talks for Berlin's next state government
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  Speaker 1: with the far-left Left Party. The suspension follows concerns that
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  Speaker 1: anti-Semitism measures are not being taken seriously, particularly after the
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  Speaker 1: left party admitted lawmaker Vanessa Emdeh, who has sparked controversy
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  Speaker 1: over her stance on Israel. The Greens and SPD expect
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  Speaker 1: the left party to clarify its commitment to the agreements.
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  Speaker 1: On the international stage, jpost.com reports the UN General Assembly
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  Speaker 1: adopted a resolution calling for the full implementation of the
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  Speaker 1: 2001 Durban Declaration, and program of action. Israel's ambassador to
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  Speaker 1: the UN, Danny Danon, condemned the move, stating the original
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  Speaker 1: conference became a platform for antisemitism and hatred of Israel,
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  Speaker 1: citing instances like images of Hitler and equating Zionism with racism.
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  Speaker 1: Israel argues the Durban Declaration implicitly criticizes it. JPost.com also
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  Speaker 1: reports on the J7 summit in London, where leaders from
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  Speaker 1: the world's seven largest Jewish diaspora communities convened to address
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  Speaker 1: escalating global antisemitism. A J7 annual report found 2025 was
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  Speaker 1: the deadliest year for Jews outside Israel since 1994, with
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  Speaker 1: increased antisemitic incidents in the UK. Discussions covered threats from AI,
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  Speaker 1: online hate, and the demonization of Israel. The J7 met
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  Speaker 1: with UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. In case outcomes, jewishpress.com
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  Speaker 1: reports a federal judge has permitted a bias lawsuit filed
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  Speaker 1: by an Israeli-American Pakemon player to proceed, with context suggesting
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  Speaker 1: the bias may involve anti-Semitic sentiments that devalue Jewish attachment
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  Speaker 1: to Israel. Finally, CIJA.ca reports that leaders from the world's
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  Speaker 1: seven largest Jewish diaspora communities, the J7 Task Force, gathered
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  Speaker 1: in Dublin, Ireland, to show solidarity with the local Jewish community.
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  Speaker 1: The visit aimed to raise concerns about rising antisemitic rhetoric
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  Speaker 1: and actions in Ireland. Maurice Cohen, chairman of the Jewish
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  Speaker 1: Representative Council of Ireland, described the attempt to remove the
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  Speaker 1: name of Herzog Park as deeply hurtful. Jonathan Greenblatt of
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  Speaker 1: the ADL stated the J7 stands in solidarity with Ireland's
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  Speaker 1: Jewish community and sounds the alarm before antisemitic rhetoric escalates further.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.
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  Speaker 1: For focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and
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  Speaker 1: the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch, midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org.ma.
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  Speaker 1: miss the next update. This report was generated with AI
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  Speaker 1: primary sources.