MID-ATLANTIC EDITION

Headlines

Three teens arrested for antisemitic playground vandalism in Abington, PA
NY Governor debate heats up over antisemitism accusations
NYC schools curriculum faces complaint over cartoonist's artwork

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Transcript

You're listening to Antisemitism Watch Mid-Atlantic edition, I'm Rachel Adler.

In Abington Township, Pennsylvania, local police arrested three teenagers in connection with racist and antisemitic vandalism found at a playground. According to NBC Philadelphia, several swastikas and a racial slur were spray-painted on playground equipment and a sign at Glenside’s Weldon Park playground. Police said the teenagers face charges that include criminal mischief and ethnic intimidation. The hateful symbols were discovered on October 3rd. Following the incident, dozens of community members gathered within hours to help clean the vandalism and show support for the targeted communities, according to reporting reviewed for this episode. Abington Township Police Chief Pat Molloy stated at a unity event on October 8th that the department takes hate and bias incidents seriously, adding that hateful messages targeting individuals or groups have no place in their community.

In New York politics, Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman accused Democratic incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul of failing to protect Jewish New Yorkers from rising antisemitism and forging a political alliance with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during Tuesday’s gubernatorial debate, according to the Algemeiner. Blakeman, the Jewish Nassau County executive, called Mamdani an antisemite, arguing that the mayor’s rhetoric and policies have contributed to an increasingly hostile climate for Jewish residents. Blakeman also faulted Hochul for maintaining a political relationship with Mamdani, citing the mayor’s decision to rescind the city’s use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA, working definition of antisemitism on his first day in office. During the debate, Blakeman also criticized Hochul's response to anti-Israel protests on the Columbia University campus, invoking the 1991 Crown Heights riots. Hochul, in response, argued that Blakeman's warnings reflected a lack of confidence in law enforcement, according to SILive.com. Mayor Zohran Mamdani fired back at Blakeman's antisemitism claims, SILive.com reported. Separately, New Jersey Democratic House candidate Rebecca Bennett campaigned this week with a New Jersey mayor who faces accusations of antisemitism, Jewish Insider reported. Additionally, Rep. Josh Gottheimer has urged the Department of Justice to investigate a New Jersey city for antisemitic discrimination, Jewish Insider also reported.

In New York City education, United Jewish Teachers, or UJT, has lodged a formal complaint with Public Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels over the inclusion of artwork by cartoonist Carlos Latuff in the city-approved NYC Reads kindergarten curriculum, according to the Jerusalem Post. UJT stated that Latuff has a documented history of cartoons that equate Israeli actions with the Holocaust and have been cited for antisemitic tropes. The instructional card, used to teach the word 'hug,' features Latuff’s illustration depicting a child wearing a kippah embracing an adult male wearing a keffiyeh-style head covering. UJT’s President Moshe Spern questioned the decision, asking, 'Who thought using an antisemitic cartoonist drawing a very strange image of a Jewish child and an adult male hugging was a good idea?' Latuff told the Jerusalem Post that the cartoon was part of his 2004 'Forgiveness' series and that he never imagined cartoons advocating reconciliation would be targeted. Chancellor Samuels' office had not yet responded to UJT’s letter as of publication.

In Philadelphia, an anti-Israel gathering in Rittenhouse Square on the third anniversary of October 7 was described by a Jewish mourner, Ilana Blumenthal, as a 'celebration of the death of Jews,' according to reporting by the San Diego Jewish World. The report also notes accusations that Philadelphia media ignored Jewish counter-protests to the event.

Separately, the Online Hate Prevention Institute, or OHPI, assessed that online antisemitism is at a record high, suggesting platforms like Threads may be more problematic than previously assumed, according to Australian Jewish News.

I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch Mid-Atlantic edition.

For broader coverage of antisemitism across the United States and around the world, listen to Antisemitism Watch at clockwork media dot org slash A W.

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This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.

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Sources:
- timesofisrael.com: https://www.timesofisrael.com/bomb-threat-hoaxes-called-into-4-jewish-american-day-schools/
- jewishexponent.com: https://www.jewishexponent.com/3-teens-arrested-for-racist-antisemitic-vandalism-in-abington/
- blogs.timesofisrael.com: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-evidence-should-outrank-institutional-prestige/
- jpost.com: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-911712
- JTA: https://www.jta.org/2026/10/14/ny/mark-levine-will-not-buy-israel-bonds-breaking-campaign-pledge
- Algemeiner: https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/10/14/bruce-blakeman-hammers-kathy-hochul-antisemitism-mamdani-new-york-gubernatorial-debate/
- jewishinsider.com: https://jewishinsider.com/2026/10/rebecca-bennett-new-jersey-tom-kean-mayor-derek-armstead/
- silive.com: https://www.silive.com/news/2026/10/the-sharp-accusation-blakeman-made-about-mamdani-and-the-mayors-blistering-response.html
- youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAUOd830qvE
- jewishinsider.com: https://jewishinsider.com/2026/10/bruce-blakeman-kathy-hochul-debate-warning-anti-israel-protesters/
- australianjewishnews.com: https://www.australianjewishnews.com/online-antisemitism-at-record-high/
- sdjewishworld.com: https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2026/10/14/philadelphia-media-ignores-jewish-counterprotests-to-oct-7-celebration-by-anti-israel-forces/
- newsfromthestates.com: https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/how-talk-about-aipac-without-fueling-antisemitism
- jpost.com: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-911727

If you've witnessed or experienced an antisemitic incident, report it to your local Jewish Federation:

In a true emergency, call 911 first.

• Middlesex & Monmouth, NJ — Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey: Report an incident

• Greater MetroWest, NJ (Essex, Morris, Union, Somerset) — Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ: Report an incident

• Northern NJ (Bergen, Hudson, Passaic) — Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey: Report an incident

• Greater Philadelphia — Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia: Report an incident

• NYC, Long Island, Westchester & Rockland — UJA-Federation of New York: Responding to antisemitism