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French Court's Suspended Sentence for Death Threats · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today's reporting
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  Speaker 1: highlights the persistent challenges in combating antisemitism, from violent threats
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  Speaker 1: to institutional blind spots. Antisemitism Watch. Mid-Atlantic is also now
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  Speaker 1: providing focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and
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  Speaker 1: the Philadelphia region. Find out more at clockworkmedia.org. In France,
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  Speaker 1: a six-month suspended sentence has been handed down to Patrick O'Brien.
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  Speaker 1: an Irish citizen convicted in Avignon of making antisemitic death
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  Speaker 1: threats and justifying crimes against humanity. The threats made against
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  Speaker 1: an Australian Jewish couple included the statement, It's a shame
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  Speaker 1: Hitler didn't finish the job. Jewish organizations, including Char and
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  Speaker 1: B'nai B'rith, which joined the case, strongly criticized the leniency
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  Speaker 1: of the suspended sentence, arguing it fails to deter such
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  Speaker 1: acts and minimizes their gravity. This comes as the victim's
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  Speaker 1: family has deep historical ties to the Holocaust, with her
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  Speaker 1: father a survivor and other relatives murdered at Auschwitz, as
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  Speaker 1: reported by the Jerusalem Post and World Israel News. In Montreal,
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  Speaker 1: authorities are investigating damage to several windows at the Temple
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  Speaker 1: Immanuel Beth Shalom Synagogue, believed to be caused by pellet
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  Speaker 1: gun fire. This incident marks the second violent act targeting
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  Speaker 1: the synagogue in less than six months, following a firebombing
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  Speaker 1: in June. The Federation CJA and the Center for Israel
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  Speaker 1: and Jewish Affairs issued a joint statement, expressing that the
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  Speaker 1: Montreal Jewish community is tired of fearing for its safety
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  Speaker 1: and the safety of its children, according to Cleveland Jewish News.
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  Speaker 1: Closer to home, in the town of Newburgh, New York,
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  Speaker 1: a swastika was spray-painted on the campaign sign of Scott Manley,
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  Speaker 1: a Jewish Republican candidate for town supervisor. The town of
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  Speaker 1: Newburgh police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
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  Speaker 1: Jewish leaders across Orange County, including Rabbi Meir Borenstein of
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  Speaker 1: Chabad-Gashan and Lisa Klein of Temple Sinai, along with local
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  Speaker 1: Jewish organizations, have condemned the defacement as obscene and hurtful.
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  Speaker 1: Elected officials also denounced the act, as reported by MidHudson News.
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  Speaker 1: A significant congressional report has revealed concerning allegations regarding the
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  Speaker 1: American Psychological Association. According to the House Committee on Education
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  Speaker 1: and Workforce, The APA was successfully co-opted by anti-Israel and
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  Speaker 1: anti-Jewish activists, leading to the removal of references to terrorism
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  Speaker 1: from its October 7 statement and opposition to recognizing Jewish
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  Speaker 1: ethnic psychological groups. The APA's leadership has rejected the report's findings,
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  Speaker 1: stating they have held listening sessions with Jewish psychologists. However,
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  Speaker 1: the Anti-Defamation League responded that antisemitism at the APA is
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  Speaker 1: embedded in its ranks and in its leadership. as detailed
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  Speaker 1: by Cleveland Jewish News and corroborated by reporting from the
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  Speaker 1: Times of Israel. In policy news, California is set to
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  Speaker 1: recognize Jewish identity as an ethnicity for state demographic data
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  Speaker 1: collection under SB 1387, effective January 1, 2029, aiming to
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  Speaker 1: improve tracking of antisemitism. Meanwhile, in Australia, Envoy Gillian Segal
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  Speaker 1: has released a report proposing measures 10 months after the
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  Speaker 1: Bondi Beach terror attack, including stricter visa checks for antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: views and bans on face coverings, identifying progressive antisemitism as
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  Speaker 1: a pervasive threat, according to J.D. Supra and ABC News.
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  Speaker 1: Within the National Education Association, U.S. Jewish teachers are engaged
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  Speaker 1: in grassroots advocacy to combat rising anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment,
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  Speaker 1: according to the Jerusalem Post. These educators have worked to
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  Speaker 1: block biased resolutions and reported facing intimidation. with activists like
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  Speaker 1: Karen Bloom leading efforts to address these issues within the union.
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  Speaker 1: In Michigan politics, antisemitism is emerging as a key issue
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  Speaker 1: in the U.S. Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and
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  Speaker 1: Republican Mike Rogers. Jewish Insider reports El-Sayed has rejected calls
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  Speaker 1: for an apology regarding antisemitism tied to his campaign, while
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  Speaker 1: reporting from the Caledonian Record notes a voter forum is
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  Speaker 1: scheduled with prominent Jewish leaders and Democratic Jewish voters. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: on the political commentary front, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
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  Speaker 1: has strongly disapproved of Mahmoud Mamdani's stance on Israel, stating simply,
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  Speaker 1: It's wrong, as reported by the Cleveland Jewish News via JTA.
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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
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch
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  Speaker 1: in 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.