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Brooklyn Yeshiva Buses Vandalized With Swastika · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
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  Speaker 1: tracking a concerning rise in antisemitic incidents, from direct vandalism
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  Speaker 1: against a Jewish school to escalating legal battles on college
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  Speaker 1: campuses and in school districts. We're also looking at how
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic rhetoric continues to seep into political discourse. And we'll
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  Speaker 1: close with vital community responses. Before we dive in, a
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  Speaker 1: quick note. Antisemitism Watch. Mid-Atlantic is now providing focused coverage
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  Speaker 1: from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region.
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  Speaker 1: Find more at clockworkmedia.org slash mavandals, scrawled antisemitic messages, and
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  Speaker 1: a swastika on four school buses parked outside a Brooklyn
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  Speaker 1: yeshiva early Monday. According to the New York Daily News
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  Speaker 1: and Hastings Tribune, the graffiti included slogans like F Israel,
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  Speaker 1: America First, and Free Palestine. Governor Kathy Hochul condemned the act, stating,
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  Speaker 1: As a mother and grandmother, it sickens me to think
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  Speaker 1: of children arriving at school to find their buses defaced
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  Speaker 1: with swastikas and hateful anti-Semitic messages. Mayor Zohan Mamdani also
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  Speaker 1: denounced the vandalism, calling it abhorrent and affirming that every
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  Speaker 1: New Yorker, especially our children, deserves to live free of
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  Speaker 1: such hatred. The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating,
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  Speaker 1: though no immediate arrests have been made. The buses belong
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  Speaker 1: to several yeshivas, including Satmar, Sants-Klausenburg and Tifers-Yisrael. In Ann Arbor, Michigan,
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  Speaker 1: prosecutors have authorized charges against a University of Michigan student
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  Speaker 1: following an alleged assault on a Jewish woman during a
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  Speaker 1: campus event. As reported by Cleveland Jewish News, Temulan Tagachag
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  Speaker 1: faces charges including assaulting, resisting or obstructing an officer, and
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  Speaker 1: assault or assault and battery. During the incident at an
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  Speaker 1: event discussing Iran and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Video footage appears
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  Speaker 1: to show the student shoving and jumping on Jewish commentator
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  Speaker 1: Liz Benishu. After being handcuffed, the student allegedly made violent threats, stating,
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  Speaker 1: I should have F. Ng killed you when I F.
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  Speaker 1: Ng had the chance. Elsewhere, a federal civil rights complaint
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  Speaker 1: has been filed against the Paradise Valley Unified School District
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  Speaker 1: in Arizona, alleging severe, persistent, and pervasive anti-Semitic harassment culminating
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  Speaker 1: in a physical assault against a 14-year-old Jewish student. According
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  Speaker 1: to jewishaz.com, the complaint details incidents where the student, wearing
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  Speaker 1: a Star of David necklace, was called ugly Jew and dirty,
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  Speaker 1: filthy Jew, threatened with being sent to a concentration camp
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  Speaker 1: to be gassed, and subjected to a Heil Hitler salute.
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  Speaker 1: The complaint, filed by the Anti-Defamation League and Reed Smith LLP,
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  Speaker 1: states the district failed to promptly and effectively address these incidents.
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  Speaker 1: which reportedly also included swastikas and proselytizing notes in students' backpacks.
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  Speaker 1: In politics, far-right agitator Nick Fuentes, known for his antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: has made a tactical endorsement of Democratic candidates in the
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  Speaker 1: upcoming midterm elections. Forward reports that Fuentes, who regularly espouses
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  Speaker 1: white nationalist and antisemitic views, is urging his followers to
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  Speaker 1: vote Democrat, citing dissatisfaction with Donald Trump's handling of foreign policy,
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  Speaker 1: and perceived support for Netanyahu. Fuentes has also specifically targeted
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  Speaker 1: Democrats like Abdulrahman El-Sayed, calling him a lying scumbag and
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  Speaker 1: a Muslim socialist. This move highlights a complex interplay of
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  Speaker 1: extremist ideology and electoral strategy. This tactic emerges as US
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  Speaker 1: midterm elections could significantly shift the balance of power, with
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  Speaker 1: rising antisemitism across the country influencing many races. According to
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  Speaker 1: the Sun-Sentinel, Jewish voters face choices between politicians supporting domestic
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  Speaker 1: policies but opposing their positions on Israel or candidates with
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  Speaker 1: ties to anti-Semitic personalities. In Michigan, Democratic nominee Abdel El-Sayed
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  Speaker 1: has drawn criticism from pro-Israel groups for his stance on
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  Speaker 1: Israel and refusal to identify it, or Iran, as the
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  Speaker 1: greater threat. Elsewhere, Senator John Ossoff has labeled Republican opponent
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  Speaker 1: Mike Collins an anti-Semite. while another Democratic candidate, Troy Jackson,
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  Speaker 1: has accused Israel of genocide. On the institutional front, the
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  Speaker 1: UK government is facing a legal challenge concerning the IHRA
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  Speaker 1: definition of antisemitism in schools. Reporting indicates that CIJA will
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  Speaker 1: be providing training to a school board on antisemitism and
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  Speaker 1: its impact on Jewish students and the community. On university campuses,
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  Speaker 1: 10 Jewish UCLA faculty members have filed an amicus brief
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  Speaker 1: supporting the University of California's motion to dismiss a Department
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  Speaker 1: of Justice lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges UCLA fostered a hostile
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  Speaker 1: work environment for Jewish and Israeli faculty. The faculty argue,
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  Speaker 1: as reported by the Daily Bruin, that antisemitism at UCLA
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  Speaker 1: is not pervasive enough to warrant federal intervention and cite
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  Speaker 1: the university's corrective steps taken since October 7, 2023. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: we turn to community response and positive developments. Tens of
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  Speaker 1: thousands demonstrated in Lima, Peru, on November 2 against antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: and in support of Israel, according to JNS.org. The event,
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  Speaker 1: organized by the March of Life movement, brought together evangelical
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  Speaker 1: Christians and local Jewish community leaders. Peru's government also recently
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  Speaker 1: adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism. In West Hampton Beach,
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  Speaker 1: the Hampton Synagogue will host a Kristallnacht commemoration on November 7,
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  Speaker 1: featuring Dr. Jens Jokisch, the Consul General of Germany in
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  Speaker 1: New York, as guest speaker, alongside liturgical music from pre-war
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  Speaker 1: German synagogues. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to
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  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
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  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch, midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org.ma.
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  Speaker 1: Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so you don't
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  Speaker 1: miss the next update. This report was generated with AI
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  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
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  Speaker 1: primary sources.