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Bomb Threat, Harassment Trigger Federal Civil Rights Complaint at Montgomery Blair High · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: also announcing the launch of Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, providing focused
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  Speaker 1: coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region.
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  Speaker 1: You can find it at clockworkmedia.org slash ma now, to
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  Speaker 1: today's stories. A federal civil rights complaint has been filed
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  Speaker 1: alleging a bomb threat and antisemitic harassment against an Orthodox
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  Speaker 1: Jewish teenager who At Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland,
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  Speaker 1: the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law
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  Speaker 1: submitted the complaint to the U.S. Department of Education, asserting
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  Speaker 1: violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. According
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  Speaker 1: to the complaint, the student, who wore a kippah and tzitzit,
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  Speaker 1: was targeted with threats like, UF-ing Zionist, UF-ing Jew, I
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  Speaker 1: am going to bomb you, and faced accusations of genocide
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  Speaker 1: after posting about plans to study in Israel. The complaint
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  Speaker 1: also notes that the school principal reportedly responded to concerns
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  Speaker 1: about the term Zionist being used to intimidate the student
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  Speaker 1: by asking, What is wrong with calling a student a Zionist?
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  Speaker 1: Isn't that a good thing? The Brandeis Center seeks an investigation,
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  Speaker 1: an independent monitor, and the incorporation of the IHRA working
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  Speaker 1: definition of antisemitism into district policies. This follows previous harassment
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  Speaker 1: the student experienced, including coins being thrown at him, and
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  Speaker 1: being told, pick it up, Jew, while at Northwood High School.
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  Speaker 1: In England, the government has accepted all 27 recommendations from
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  Speaker 1: a major independent review into antisemitism in schools and colleges.
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  Speaker 1: The review, led by former Ofsted chief Sir David Bell,
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  Speaker 1: found that three in five Jewish students have experienced antisemitic hatred,
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  Speaker 1: and one in five students overall have witnessed it. The
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  Speaker 1: government has vowed to implement measures, including requiring schools to
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  Speaker 1: recognize antisemitism as a distinct harm, providing dedicated teacher training,
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  Speaker 1: and encouraging the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's
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  Speaker 1: working definition of antisemitism. However, the National Education Union, the
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  Speaker 1: country's largest education union, has pushed back, with its General
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  Speaker 1: Secretary Daniel Kebed stating that recommending the IHRA definition risks
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  Speaker 1: deepening the problem and stifling classroom discussion of the Gaza Genocide.
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  Speaker 1: A new report from the U.S. House Education and Workforce
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  Speaker 1: Committee details findings from investigations into the School District of Philadelphia,
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  Speaker 1: Berkeley Unified School District, and the National Education Association. Chairman
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  Speaker 1: Tim Walberg stated that the investigations exposed how antisemitism and
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  Speaker 1: radical activism have entered K-12 classrooms and the teachers' union.
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  Speaker 1: The committee launched these probes after a significant surge in
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools. which the Anti-Defamation League reported
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  Speaker 1: increased by 135% in 2023 alone. In the political arena,
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  Speaker 1: New York City Council member Zoran Mamdani accused Israel of
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  Speaker 1: committing genocide against Palestinians following the detention of former NYC
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  Speaker 1: controller Brad Lander and other American activists by Israeli forces
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  Speaker 1: during an olive harvest. Mamdani demanded the immediate release of
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  Speaker 1: the remaining detainees, stating, The occupation must end. The genocide
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  Speaker 1: must end. Meanwhile, conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson aired a program
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  Speaker 1: questioning the nature of the October 7th attack and alleging
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  Speaker 1: victim exploitation, while also debating casualty figures and Hamas's responsibility. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: the White House is facing criticism after the U.S. president
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  Speaker 1: reportedly used the phrase, Shylock-type guy, to describe a Republican senator.
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  Speaker 1: The ADL warned this language risks normalizing terms long used
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  Speaker 1: to demean Jews. In Pennsylvania, State Senator Judy Schwenk plans
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  Speaker 1: to reintroduce legislation defining antisemitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance
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  Speaker 1: Alliance's working definition. She anticipates Governor Josh Shapiro will sign
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  Speaker 1: the bill if it passes the legislature, emphasizing that legislative
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  Speaker 1: action demonstrates a stronger commitment to confronting Jew hatred than
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  Speaker 1: an executive order. Online, artificial intelligence safety filters are reportedly
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  Speaker 1: struggling to detect evolving forms of antisemitism. A new guidance
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  Speaker 1: document from CyberWell for Meta's oversight board highlights how bad
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  Speaker 1: actors use AI tools to create sophisticated evasion tactics, including
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  Speaker 1: coded language, emojis, denialism wrapped in humor, and subtle modifications
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  Speaker 1: in Arabic to bypass automated detection systems. Finally, Mother Jones'
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  Speaker 1: investigations into Trump-endorsed candidates have brought to light problematic associations.
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  Speaker 1: One report detailed how Senate candidate David Flippo featured his
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  Speaker 1: son-in-law in campaign materials, who has promoted white nationalist and
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic content online. Co-host Garrison Hayes noted that for some voters,
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  Speaker 1: racism and antisemitism are not a deal-breaker. I'm Rachel Adler,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage
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  Speaker 1: from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region,
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  Speaker 1: Listen to Antisemitism Watch. MidAtlantic at ClockworkMedia.org.ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch
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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.