MID-ATLANTIC EDITION

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Pennsylvania Senate Hearing Confronts Rising School Antisemitism, Citing Harassment and Biased Curricula
NYC Mayor Mamdani's Anti-Antisemitism Plan Faces Scrutiny Over Definition and Criticism of Israel
Zara Removes Children's Costume Resembling Concentration Camp Uniforms Following Public Outcry

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Transcript

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

Pennsylvania state senators convened a hearing on September 30, 2026, to address rising antisemitism in public schools. The Senate Majority Policy Committee heard testimony detailing incidents of harassment and concerns over classroom bias, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.

Witnesses included educators, parents, and Jewish communal leaders, with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia and the Jewish Federations of Greater Philadelphia and Greater Pittsburgh also testifying, as reported by jns.org.

Testimony detailed incidents such as a swastika found on an eraser and the word “Jew” written on a classroom desk. A Jewish parent and educator recounted a student being called a “dirty Jew” and another Jewish child’s face being digitally placed on an image of a concentration camp prisoner, according to jns.org.

Andrew Goretsky, senior regional director of the ADL in Philadelphia, told lawmakers that there were 25 antisemitic incidents in Pennsylvania’s K-12 schools in 2025, an increase from 21 the previous year, jns.org reported.

Concerns were also raised about curriculum bias. Steve Rosenberg, Pennsylvania director of the North American Values Institute, told JNS that a report by CAMERA, referenced by the Pennsylvania Senate Majority Policy Committee hearing, found that the School District of Philadelphia's curriculum used an “oppressor/oppressed binary lens” that cast Jews and Israel as oppressors, thereby teaching students to view them through a predetermined ideological framework. Rosenberg added that this approach prioritized activism over historical literacy, according to jns.org and jpost.com.

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan to combat antisemitism, including $7.4 million in funding for security measures and hate prevention. However, the plan has drawn controversy for its lack of a specific definition for antisemitism, according to epicenter-nyc.com.

The announcement came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked Mamdani directly at the United Nations General Assembly, calling him an antisemite, epicenter-nyc.com reported.

Critics argue Mamdani's past criticism of Israeli leadership and his description of hostilities in Gaza as a genocide incentivize antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League also contends that political efforts to criticize or constrain Israel can fundamentally be antisemitism, according to epicenter-nyc.com.

The report notes that on his first day in office, Mamdani canceled an executive order by his predecessor that had codified the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism into city policy, a definition that Mamdani's critics viewed as potentially broad in its application to criticism of Israel.

In immigration news, Yehonatan Ovadia, an Israeli citizen and anti-Zionist Hasidic rabbi, was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faces impending deportation. A lawyer for Ovadia stated his case demonstrates how “equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism produces absurd results,” as reported by commondreams.org.

Ovadia, a member of the Satmar Hasidic sect that opposes Zionism on religious grounds, had participated in anti-Israel marches. In November 2023, he was charged with hate crimes over an incident involving the cutting down of an Israeli flag, though these charges were later dropped. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense of disorderly conduct, per commondreams.org.

While the Department of Homeland Security cited Ovadia “overstayed his welcome and refused to depart,” DHS also explicitly stated that the “content of Ovadia's speech was the real issue,” following a Trump administration executive order directing DHS to target noncitizens participating in pro-Palestinian protests deemed antisemitic, commondreams.org detailed.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, more than 40 local Jewish leaders have expressed deep concern over what they call “skyrocketing school-based antisemitism” in Montgomery County Public Schools. The leaders cite specific recent incidents, including a swastika found on a classroom desk at Walter Johnson High School, an antisemitic symbol discovered in a high school locker room, and racial and antisemitic graffiti on a bathroom wall, according to fox5dc.com.

MCPS Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor responded to the leaders' letter, acknowledging “issues” and committing to addressing them. He admitted a “misstep” in communication regarding the Walter Johnson incident, stating the message should have explicitly identified the swastika as an antisemitic symbol and named the harm more directly. Taylor added that the district has made efforts to raise awareness and committed to collaborative dialogue with the community, fox5dc.com reported.

Rabbis Adam Raskin and Sue Shankman told FOX 5 that they had hoped for a face-to-face meeting and highlighted that the local Jewish community has programs that could be implemented immediately, emphasizing that “our kids and our families don’t have the luxury to wait.” They also noted that many congregants have shared their experiences since the letter was distributed, according to fox5dc.com.

In fashion news with antisemitism implications, the retailer Zara removed a children's Halloween costume from its website after social media users noted its resemblance to prison garb worn by inmates in Nazi concentration camps. The gray-and-blue striped outfit was described by Zara as a “Kids costume featuring vertical stripes,” jta.org reported.

The resemblance to concentration camp uniforms drew widespread criticism online. Zara has faced similar controversies in the past, including withdrawing a handbag with a swastika in 2007 and stopping sales of a shirt featuring yellow star badges in 2014, jta.org detailed.

Gideon Taylor of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany emphasized the need for Holocaust education, stating, “The glaring absence of Holocaust knowledge is pervasive,” jta.org noted.

Actress Selma Blair shared her experience at the ADL State of the Arts Reception on October 1, 2026, detailing severe professional consequences she faced in February 2024 after posting an online comment. Blair said she lost brands, partnerships, her agency, lawyer, publicist, book agent, social media manager, and a long-time manager within a day of the post, as reported by ADL.

Blair, who identifies as Jewish, stated, “I feel Israel in my whole being. I have not hidden it a day in my life, and I'm not going to start now.” She suggested the post was an “occasion” but not the “reason” for the backlash, implying broader systemic issues. She also spoke of the lasting fear and trauma the experience inflicted on her son, according to her remarks.

Finally, on a note of community resilience, the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey convened a broad community-wide commemoration on the first anniversary of October 7. The event included a discussion of antisemitism, according to jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com.

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

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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:
- columbiaspectator.com: https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2026/10/02/columbia-other-universities-systematically-suppressed-pro-palestinian-speech-aclu-and-amnesty-international-report-alleges/
- fox5dc.com: https://www.fox5dc.com/news/mcps-responds-local-jewish-leaders-urging-action-antisemitism
- jns.org: https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/pennsylvania-state-lawmakers-hold-hearing-on-jew-hatred-in-public-schools
- ADL: https://www.adl.org/resources/news/remarks-selma-blair-adl-state-arts-reception
- epicenter-nyc.com: https://epicenter-nyc.com/zohran-mamdani-antisemitism-plan/
- commondreams.org: https://www.commondreams.org/news/rabbi-deported-for-protesting-israel
- jta.org: https://www.jta.org/2026/10/01/ny/columbia-professor-receives-israels-nobel
- jpost.com: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-910356
- jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com: https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/how-a-philanthropist-thinks/
- jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com: https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/adl-calls-out-systemic-anti-jewish-bias-in-cultural-spaces/
- jta.org: https://www.jta.org/2026/10/01/global/zara-removes-halloween-costume-likened-to-concentration-camp-uniform
- jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com: https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/remembering-october-7/

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