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Montreal Synagogue Targeted in Third Attack · 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, providing 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 today with
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  Speaker 1: acts of vandalism and hate-motivated incidents impacting Jewish communities. In Montreal,
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  Speaker 1: police are investigating a potential hate crime after five windows
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  Speaker 1: at Temple Emmanuel Beth Shalom were broken on October 30,
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  Speaker 1: apparently by pellet gun, according to the Montreal police spokesperson
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  Speaker 1: Manuel Couture. The Canadian Jewish News reports this marks the
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  Speaker 1: third time the synagogue has been targeted in two years.
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  Speaker 1: Rabbi Lisa Grushkow described the acts as cowardly but emphasized
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  Speaker 1: community resilience, stating, Parents still bring their kids. People aren't
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  Speaker 1: scared off by this, and we're not letting ourselves be
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  Speaker 1: deprived of the comfort and strength of being together. Federation
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  Speaker 1: CJA and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs issued
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  Speaker 1: a joint statement saying they take such incidents extremely seriously, adding,
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  Speaker 1: Enough is enough. This must stop. Quebec's Jennifer Macaron, member
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  Speaker 1: of the National Assembly, condemned the incident, stating the Jewish
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  Speaker 1: community should not have to shoulder the responsibility or the
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  Speaker 1: cost of protecting itself, and called for increased police presence
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  Speaker 1: and accountability. Haaretz also noted this as the third incident
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  Speaker 1: targeting the synagogue since October 7, prompting calls for government intervention. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: in Winnipeg, police have charged a 42-year-old man following an
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  Speaker 1: investigation into hate-motivated signs displayed at a home near the
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  Speaker 1: Polo Park Mall. CBC News reports that on September 8,
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  Speaker 1: police received multiple complaints. A search warrant was executed, leading
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  Speaker 1: to the arrest of Michael Ryan-Walbank, who now faces four
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  Speaker 1: counts of willful promotion of hatred and one count of
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  Speaker 1: willful promotion of hatred related to hate symbols. We turn
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  Speaker 1: now to significant political rhetoric and institutional responses. Delegates at
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  Speaker 1: the UK's Green Party conference on October 4 voted to
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  Speaker 1: adopt a motion declaring that Zionism is racism. The Kilburn
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  Speaker 1: Times reports that the delegates also rejected an amendment intended
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  Speaker 1: to protect members from discipline due to their affiliation with
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  Speaker 1: Jewish community institutions. The Board of Deputies of British Jews
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  Speaker 1: and the Jewish Leadership Council condemned the motion as an
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  Speaker 1: anti-Semitic platform, and the party has been referred to the
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  Speaker 1: Equality and Human Rights Commission for clarification. A U.S. House
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  Speaker 1: Committee on Education and the Workforce Report has concluded that
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  Speaker 1: systemic anti-Semitism exists within the American Psychological Association, or APA.
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  Speaker 1: According to the Jerusalem Post and UA News, The investigation,
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  Speaker 1: launched in December 2025, found that APA leadership allegedly appeased
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  Speaker 1: anti-Israel affiliated groups, such as the American Arab, Middle Eastern,
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  Speaker 1: and North African Psychological Association, while ignoring or dismissing complaints
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  Speaker 1: from Jewish psychologists. The report cites internal communications where leaders
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  Speaker 1: reportedly omitted references to terrorism from statements following the October
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  Speaker 1: 7th attacks and expressed bias. With one official comparing Hamas's
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  Speaker 1: attack to the murder of George Floyd, the APA leadership,
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  Speaker 1: including President Wendy S. Williams, has rejected the committee's conclusions,
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  Speaker 1: stating the association unequivocally condemns anti-Semitism. The Anti-Defamation League has
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  Speaker 1: supported the committee's investigation and called for an independent review
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  Speaker 1: by the APA. In a significant political development ahead of
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  Speaker 1: the Michigan Senate midterm elections, Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed
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  Speaker 1: Republican candidate Mike Rogers. Multiple outlets, including the media line
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  Speaker 1: and Forward.com, report this move stems from a deep rift
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  Speaker 1: with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. Stevens cited concerns over anti-Semitism
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  Speaker 1: and a controversial anti-Israel advertisement from Rebellion PAC that blamed U.S.
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  Speaker 1: aid for rising grocery prices, a trope that echoes anti-Semitic
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  Speaker 1: conspiracy theories. El-Sayed's campaign had reportedly asked Stevens not to
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  Speaker 1: campaign with him, and Stevens stated she did not belong
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  Speaker 1: in his campaign. El-Sayed denied direct involvement with the ad,
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  Speaker 1: accusing Stevens of relitigating their primary election. Senate Minority Leader
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  Speaker 1: Chuck Schumer called Stevens' decision a despicable betrayal, while President
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  Speaker 1: Trump praised her actions. El-Sayed himself has faced scrutiny for
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  Speaker 1: past remarks, including comments made after an attack on Michigan's
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  Speaker 1: Temple Israel, which he later apologized for. Finally, a story
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  Speaker 1: of remembrance and resilience. Fred Behrend, a Holocaust survivor living
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  Speaker 1: in Voorhees, New Jersey, is set to turn 100 on
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  Speaker 1: November 3rd. VIN News reports that his childhood hometown of Ludenscheid, Germany,
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  Speaker 1: is installing three memorial plaques, known as Stolperstein, in front
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  Speaker 1: of the building that once housed his family's textile store
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  Speaker 1: to honor him, his mother Else, and his father Herman.
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  Speaker 1: Behrend's father was arrested and and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration
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  Speaker 1: camp before the family fled Germany after Kristallnacht. Behrend has
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  Speaker 1: lived a full life in America, served as a US soldier,
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  Speaker 1: and has spoken for years to schoolchildren about the Holocaust.
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  Speaker 1: The Stolpersteins serve as a decentralized form of remembrance for
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  Speaker 1: victims of the Nazi regime. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York,
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  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region, Listen to Antisemitism Watch,
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  Speaker 1: midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org slash ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your
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  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. This
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  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources. Antisemitism Watch