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Hanukkah Shooting: Gunman Admits Opening Fire Outside NY Synagogue With Children Present Hanukkah Shooting: Gunman Admits Opening Fire Outside NY Synagogue With Children Present
Hanukkah Shooting: Gunman Admits Opening Fire Outside NY Synagogue With Children Present A New York man who fired a shotgun outside an Albany synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah pleaded guilty to federal civil rights and firearm charges. Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 29, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty to obstructing religious freedom by threat of force, unlawfully acquiring a firearm, and brandishing it during the crime in Albany federal court on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The formal confession came more than a year after Alkhader took an Uber from Schenectady to Temple Israel in Albany, where he walked up the synagogue’s steps and pulled a shotgun from a duffel bag on Dec. 7, 2023. He the…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
Competitive Long Island, Hudson Valley Races Seen As Key To What Party Controls House Competitive Long Island, Hudson Valley Races Seen As Key To What Party Controls House
Competitive Long Island, Hudson Valley Races Seen As Key To What Party Controls House As Election Day draws closer, political pundits are closely watching three New York congressional races that could determine which party controls the House next year. Freshmen Republican Reps. Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, and Anthony D’Esposito – supporters of former President Donald Trump in districts won by President Joe Biden in 2020 – are all hoping for repeat wins in November. Here’s a closer look at their races. Mondaire Jones (left) and Rep. Mike Lawler. Campaign Facebook Pages 17th District: Lawler vs. Jones Lawler, whose 17th District represents all of Rockland and Pu…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
School Board Member In Hudson Valley Under Fire For Comments On Israel-Hamas War School Board Member In Hudson Valley Under Fire For Comments On Israel-Hamas War
School Board Member In Hudson Valley Under Fire For Comments On Israel-Hamas War Elected officials and community members are calling for a Hudson Valley school board member to step down following alleged antisemitic remarks made at a board meeting.  The outrage was prompted following a school board meeting in Putnam County on Tuesday, July 9, when Carmel Central School District Trustee Jim Wise allegedly controversy within the town over a comment on the Israel-Hamas war. The statement in question, "From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free," was defended by Wise in a post on social media on Wednesday, Aug. 7.  "I also reject absolutely the idea that …

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by Ben Crnic
News
Graffiti Found At Jewish-Owned Stores In Westchester Graffiti Found At Jewish-Owned Stores In Westchester
Graffiti Found At Jewish-Owned Stores In Westchester Two Jewish-owned businesses at a Westchester shopping center were the victim of vandalism, officials said.  The graffiti was discovered on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Jewish-owned Cheryl's Closet clothing store and Scoop Shop at the Golden Horseshoe shopping center on the border of Scarsdale and New Rochelle at 1088 Wilmot Rd., according to New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman. In a statement, Bowman condemned the act.  "Let me be clear: I strongly condemn antisemitic actions that target Jewish Americans because of their religion or conflate the actions of the Israeli government with ou…

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by Ben Crnic
Politics
Trump Eyeing NY Congresswoman As Veep Pick, Report Says Trump Eyeing NY Congresswoman As Veep Pick, Report Says
Trump Eyeing NY Congresswoman As Veep Pick, Report Says As campaign season heats up, rumors are swirling over former President Donald Trump’s pick to be his running mate should he clinch the Republican nomination. Among the names that Trump is strongly considering for his vice president is New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, NBC News reports. The 39-year-old House Republican Conference chair – whose 21st District represents several Capital Region counties, including Rensselaer – was brought up during a dinner at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago home in December 2023, according to the outlet. Trump nodded approvingly and referred to Stefanik as “a ki…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Coach, Player Dismissed After Antisemitic Remarks Made At HS Basketball Game In Westchester Coach, Player Dismissed After Antisemitic Remarks Made At HS Basketball Game In Westchester
Coach, Player Dismissed After Antisemitic Remarks Made At HS Basketball Game In Westchester A high school basketball coach and a player have both been disciplined following an incident during a game in Westchester in which antisemitic remarks were hurled at a team, officials said. The incident happened during a basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 4 between girls' varsity teams from Roosevelt High School in Yonkers and The Leffell School, a private Jewish school located in Hartsdale, Yonkers city officials said.  During the third quarter of the game, which took place at Roosevelt High School, members of the Leffell School's team were injured by an alleged physical style of …

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Hochul Vows 'Aggressive' Discipline For Colleges Letting 'Jewish Genocide' Calls Go Unchecked Hochul Vows 'Aggressive' Discipline For Colleges Letting 'Jewish Genocide' Calls Go Unchecked
Hochul Vows 'Aggressive' Discipline For Colleges Letting 'Jewish Genocide' Calls Go Unchecked New York colleges that fail to swiftly punish calls for Jewish genocide will face “aggressive” repercussions, including potentially losing their funding, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced. In a letter to New York State college and university presidents on Saturday, Dec. 9, Hochul said she had reached out to SUNY Chancellor John King “to ensure that it is SUNY’s policy that calling for the genocide of any group of people” on campuses violated the university’s code of conduct and would lead to “swift disciplinary action.” “Chancellor King affirmed that was the case, and that SUNY will not tolerate …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Yale Condemns Desecration Of Menorah On New Haven Green Yale Condemns Desecration Of Menorah On New Haven Green
Yale Condemns Desecration Of Menorah On New Haven Green City officials and Yale University are speaking out after a masked man climbed a public menorah on the New Haven Green and put a Palestinian flag on the structure. Video of the incident shows a protester dressed in black scaling the menorah and sticking a Palestinian flag on one of the candleholders. Several people, who appear to be fellow protesters, can also be seen and heard telling the person to take the flag down. Related: UPenn President Resigns After Backlash Over Congressional Testimony Three other people are heard saying, “Get down!” and "It looks bad for us,” as the prote…

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by Khier Casino
Schools
UPenn President Resigns After Backlash Over Congressional Testimony UPenn President Resigns After Backlash Over Congressional Testimony
UPenn President Resigns After Backlash Over Congressional Testimony Moments after it was announced that University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill was resigning, Board of Trustees Chairman Scott Bok followed suit. Magill, whose testimony to Congress on antisemitism earlier this week sparked widespread outrage, resigned on Saturday, Dec. 9. Bok later announced his resignation, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Magill remains a faculty member at Penn Carey Law and will stay on as president until an interim president is appointment, UPenn Board of Trustees Chairman Scott Bok said in announcing the news Saturday evening. And Liz Magill has resig…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
New Update: Shooting At NY Synagogue On First Day Of Hanukkah Investigated As Hate Crime New Update: Shooting At NY Synagogue On First Day Of Hanukkah Investigated As Hate Crime
New Update: Shooting At NY Synagogue On First Day Of Hanukkah Investigated As Hate Crime This story has been updated. A shooting at a New York synagogue on the first day of Hanukkah is being investigated as a hate crime. The incident happened at Albany’s Temple Israel, located on New Scotland Avenue, on Thursday, Dec. 7. According to Albany Police, the 28-year-old man fired two shots from a shotgun in the building's parking lot. Nobody was injured. The shots were first heard by the temple's director of Early Childhood Center, who called 911. At least two dozen preschool-aged children were inside the building at the time, police said. The facility was immediately placed…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Race Committee Members Resign In Northern Westchester, Fail To Denounce Antisemitism: Official Race Committee Members Resign In Northern Westchester, Fail To Denounce Antisemitism: Official
Race Committee Members Resign In Northern Westchester, Fail To Denounce Antisemitism: Official All members of a Northern Westchester town's Committee on Race, Equity, and Inclusion have resigned after allegedly failing to publicly denounce antisemitism, officials said.  The members of the New Castle Committee on Race, Equity, and Inclusion resigned following their alleged unwillingness to condemn antisemitism, New Castle Town Supervisor Lisa Katz announced on Monday, Oct. 23. According to Katz, the events leading up to the resignation began when the Committee prepared a statement regarding the violence unfolding in Israel and Palestine in the wake of attacks committed by the Hamas m…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
21-Year-Old Accused Of Threatening To Shoot, Stab, Rape Jewish Students On Campus At Cornell 21-Year-Old Accused Of Threatening To Shoot, Stab, Rape Jewish Students On Campus At Cornell
21-Year-Old Accused Of Threatening To Shoot, Stab, Rape Jewish Students On Campus At Cornell A student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York has been accused of threatening to shoot, stab, and rape Jewish students at the Ivy League school. Patrick Dai, a 21-year-old junior originally from Pittsford, New York, was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 31 on a federal criminal complaint charging him with posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications, according to prosecutors in the Northern District of New York. Dai allegedly posted threatening messages to the Cornell section of an online discussion site, including posts calling for the deaths of Jewish peopl…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
NY AG James Urges Social Media Companies To Stop Hateful Content After Attacks In Israel NY AG James Urges Social Media Companies To Stop Hateful Content After Attacks In Israel
NY AG James Urges Social Media Companies To Stop Hateful Content After Attacks In Israel New York Attorney General Letitia James has sent a series of letters to several social media companies urging them to take action and remove hateful content posted in response to the violence taking place in Israel.  The letters, announced by the Attorney General's Office on Friday, Oct. 13, all request that each company provide thorough explanations of how they are stopping the spread of hateful content that encourages violence against Jewish and Muslim people or institutions in the aftermath of violent attacks committed against Israel by the Hamas militant group.  Jame…

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by Ben Crnic
News
New Details: Police Chief Was 1 Of 6 Westchester Officials In Israel During Large-Scale Attack New Details: Police Chief Was 1 Of 6 Westchester Officials In Israel During Large-Scale Attack
New Details: Police Chief Was 1 Of 6 Westchester Officials In Israel During Large-Scale Attack A Westchester police chief was one of the six county law enforcement officials who were forced to evacuate from Israel in the midst of violent fighting that has killed hundreds of Israelis and several American citizens.  Larchmont Police Chief Chris McNerney was one of the six Westchester County law enforcement officials who traveled to Israel on Thursday, Oct. 5 to participate in an international counterterrorism and antisemitism training, according to Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner.  Earlier Report - 6 Westchester Law Enforcement Leaders Return Home …

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by Ben Crnic
News
6 Westchester Law Enforcement Leaders Return Home From Israel After Large-Scale Hamas Attack 6 Westchester Law Enforcement Leaders Return Home From Israel After Large-Scale Hamas Attack
6 Westchester Law Enforcement Leaders Return Home From Israel After Large-Scale Hamas Attack This story has been updated.  Six Westchester law enforcement leaders who had been in Israel during deadly, violent fighting that has left hundreds of Israelis and several American citizens dead have successfully returned home. The six law enforcement leaders had been in Israel as part of a 32-member New York delegation that had traveled to the country on Thursday, Oct. 5 to participate in an international counterterrorism and antisemitism training, Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced. As a result, the leaders had been in the country when the Islamist Hamas militant g…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Swastika Found Carved Into Table At High School In Hudson Valley Swastika Found Carved Into Table At High School In Hudson Valley
Swastika Found Carved Into Table At High School In Hudson Valley District officials are seeking information after a swastika was found carved into a table at a Hudson Valley high school.  The hate symbol was found at a school in Putnam County on Tuesday, Oct. 3, when the Carmel Board of Education was alerted that a swastika had been carved into the leg of a lab table at Carmel High School.  According to district officials, this most recent incident followed the discovery of a swastika and the words "Adolf Hitler" written on the same school's tennis courts in September.  "We, as the Board of Education, recognize that these are not isolated…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Insurance Companies Barred From Canceling, Raising Rates On Hate Crime Victims Under New NY Law Insurance Companies Barred From Canceling, Raising Rates On Hate Crime Victims Under New NY Law
Insurance Companies Barred From Canceling, Raising Rates On Hate Crime Victims Under New NY Law Victims of hate crimes no longer have to fear retaliation from their insurance companies under a new law in New York. On Monday, Dec. 12, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation that prohibits insurers in the state from canceling policies or raising premiums on the basis that a claim was filed for a loss resulting from a hate crime. The law also bars insurance companies from refusing to issue a policy or refusing to renew a policy solely on that same basis, Hochul’s office said. It applies to claims that are made against policies during the preceding five years where the individual has provi…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
‘I Had A Good Run’: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Concedes To GOP's Lawler In NY's 17th District ‘I Had A Good Run’: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Concedes To GOP's Lawler In NY's 17th District
‘I Had A Good Run’: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Concedes To GOP's Lawler In NY's 17th District In a stunning defeat for Democrats, five-term New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney has conceded to Republican state Assemblyman Mike Lawler in the closely-watched contest for the 17th Congressional District. Speaking at a press conference at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) headquarters in Washington, DC on Wednesday morning, Nov. 9, Maloney said while he doesn’t like to lose, his opponent won the race “fair and square.” Earlier Report: Some Pundits Now Project Sean Patrick Maloney Will Be First DCCC Chair To Lose Seat In 40 Years The press conference came just minutes…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Antisemitic Comments At Planning Board Meeting In Hudson Valley Spark Outrage Antisemitic Comments At Planning Board Meeting In Hudson Valley Spark Outrage
Antisemitic Comments At Planning Board Meeting In Hudson Valley Spark Outrage The is outrage in the Hudson Valley after hate speech was spewed at a community meeting. In Rockland County, a Haverstraw Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 10 was interrupted by disparaging comments by a local resident about the growing Orthodox Jewish community. “A certain sect of people tend to walk in the street, and nobody is wearing any reflective gear,"  the unidentified man reportedly said. "So if I run one of them over, and of course, I’m going back over them again." The comments drew swift and decisive backlash from elected officials, from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul …

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by Zak Failla
News
Photos: Westchester Comes Together In Show Of Support After Anti-Semitic Attack In Rockland Photos: Westchester Comes Together In Show Of Support After Anti-Semitic Attack In Rockland
Photos: Westchester Comes Together In Show Of Support After Anti-Semitic Attack In Rockland Members of the Westchester Jewish community and others attended a special event to show support for five people stabbed in Rockland County over the weekend during an attack during a Hanukkah celebration. The ceremony, held Sunday, Dec. 29, was organized and led by Rabbi Avrohom Butman of Chabad of Westchester County, and was attended by more than 100 people and dignitaries, as well as numerous police officers, firefighters, and elected officials. During the event, the Menorah lighting, which took place at Tibbits Park in the heart of White Plains, Rabbi Butman highlighted the eternal lesson…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Swastikas Found In Westchester High School Swastikas Found In Westchester High School
Swastikas Found In Westchester High School Multiple swastikas were found in a Westchester high school the week before Thanksgiving Break, police said. Two swastikas were found at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21 at the New Rochelle High School in the boy’s bathroom near the lower cafeteria, New Rochelle Police Capt. Cosmo Costa said. Two others were found the following day at the school, one in the library and one near the Athletic Director’s Office. The swastikas were written in black marker and approximately two inches in height, Costa said. They’ve since been photographed and removed by school personnel. Late last ye…

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by Zak Failla
News
Human Rights Center Offers Support After Swastika Found At High School In Westchester Human Rights Center Offers Support After Swastika Found At High School In Westchester
Human Rights Center Offers Support After Swastika Found At High School In Westchester The Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center has lent its support to a Westchester School District after a swastika was found etched into a bathroom door. A four-inch swastika was found at New Rochelle High School on Wednesday, Nov. 7, prompting an investigation, school officials said. A temporary fix has been put in place to make the sign less recognized until employees at the school can make a permanent fix. In response, the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center issued a lengthy statement in support of the district and interim Schools Superintendent Magda Parvey. “In the wake of…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Area HS Student Plans Stand Up Against Hate Rally Area HS Student Plans Stand Up Against Hate Rally
Area HS Student Plans Stand Up Against Hate Rally For those looking for a place to stand up against recent incidents of hate and violence across the country, can join a group of high school students this weekend at a rally aimed at ending "hate."  The event, Sunday, June 10 in Ridgefield from 2 to 7 p.m., at Ballard Park, 485 Main St., will feature everyone from Glenda Armstrong, president of the Danbury chapter of the NAACP, to a rabbi, to a Jewish youth leader and educator of the group Stand With Us, to a teacher and student speaker from Ridgefield High School.  Orangzied by students from Ridgefield High School, the "Stand…

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by Kathy Reakes