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Anti-semitism

Police & Fire
Hudson Valley Man Charged With Hate Crime At Synagogue Hudson Valley Man Charged With Hate Crime At Synagogue
Hudson Valley Man Charged With Hate Crime At Synagogue A Hudson Valley man has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly posting an anti-semitic banner at a synagogue. Ulster County resident Caleb H. Rochester, age 55, of Kingston, was arrested on Thursday, May 16, for the Monday, March 25 incident at Temple Emanuel Synagogue in Kingston.  According to Capt. Joseph Sciutto of the Ulster County Sheriff's Office, congregants discovered a banner with anti-semitic language and artwork adhered to the exterior of the synagogue.  Sciutto said the adhesive product used had also caused damage to the exterior…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found At School In Hudson Valley Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found At School In Hudson Valley
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found At School In Hudson Valley The discovery of two swastikas on a high school wall in the region is being used as a learning experience regarding anti-Semitism. The swastikas were found in Dutchess County on Monday, March 4 at Rhinebeck High School, said the principal Edwin Davenport. Davenport, who happened to be in the classroom when the symbols of hate were discovered by another student, said he is investigating to find who may have drawn the symbols in chalk on a wall, but also immediately called out the action for what it was -- "It's evil, and will not be tolerated," Davenport said. It is not the first time …

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
Harvard President Faces Plagiarism Allegations Amid Calls For Resignation Harvard President Faces Plagiarism Allegations Amid Calls For Resignation
Harvard President Faces Plagiarism Allegations Amid Calls For Resignation Harvard University president Claudine Gay faces new allegations while some are calling for her resignation after they took issue with recent comments she made to Congress about anti-Semitism.  A report claims that Gay had plagiarized portions of her doctoral thesis. However, the prestigious university said it had looked into the matter and determined that she had not violated any of the school's research standards. Officials said two of her articles will receive corrections for "inadequate citation." The Harvard Corporation, which supervises the university, announced in a statement on …

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by Khier Casino
News
Temple Shooting: 28-Year-Old Federally Charged After Gunshots At NY Synagogue Temple Shooting: 28-Year-Old Federally Charged After Gunshots At NY Synagogue
Temple Shooting: 28-Year-Old Federally Charged After Gunshots At NY Synagogue The man accused of opening fire at a New York synagogue on the first day of Hanukkah has been federally charged. Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, age 28, of Schenectady, appeared in Albany federal court on Friday, Dec. 8, where he was arraigned on one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm. According to the criminal complaint, Alkhader approached Albany’s Temple Israel, located on New Scotland Avenue, at around 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7 armed with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. He then fired the weapon twice into the air, prosecutors allege. Earlier Report: New Update: Shooting At NY Syna…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
$75 Million Plan Aims To Ease Surge Of Hate, Bias Crimes In NY: Hochul $75 Million Plan Aims To Ease Surge Of Hate, Bias Crimes In NY: Hochul
$75 Million Plan Aims To Ease Surge Of Hate, Bias Crimes In NY: Hochul As a response to the rise in both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic crimes across New York State stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict, Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a multi-million dollar plan to keep New Yorkers safe. Earlier report: 21-Year-Old Accused Of Threatening To Shoot, Stab, Rape Jewish Students On Campus At Cornell The announcement came on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Hochul, utilizing all available state resources, declared a multi-branched plan aimed at limiting the number of hate and bias crimes, which she says have risen since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. “Let me be clear: we cannot…

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by Sophie Grieser
Schools
Swastikas Found At High School In Hudson Valley Swastikas Found At High School In Hudson Valley
Swastikas Found At High School In Hudson Valley Police in the Hudson Valley are investigating after several swastikas were discovered at an area high school. The incident took place in Rockland County on Wednesday, March 22, when a school resource officer assigned to Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack was informed that swastikas were discovered in a classroom, said Clarkstown PD Det. Norm Peters. Peters said the drawings were reported by a teacher who stated that she observed the two swastikas over the past month in her classroom.  The first was observed on a wall near the exit door accompanied by the words “…

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by Kathy Reakes
Politics
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Trailing Republican Mike Lawler In NY's 17th District (Developing) Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Trailing Republican Mike Lawler In NY's 17th District (Developing)
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Trailing Republican Mike Lawler In NY's 17th District (Developing) This story has been updated. New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is struggling to hang on in the battle over the state’s newly drawn 17th Congressional District early Wednesday, Nov. 9.  The five-term Congressman, who has served as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) since 2021, was trailing his Republican opponent, Assemblyman Mike Lawler, by 6.4 percentage points, 51 to 49 percent as of 6 a.m. with 95 percent of the vote counted. Should Lawler win, Maloney would become the first DCCC chair to lose a re-election bid since Rep. Jim Corman was unseated in Califor…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Candidate Drops Out Of School Board Race In Hudson Valley After Offensive Facebook Posts Candidate Drops Out Of School Board Race In Hudson Valley After Offensive Facebook Posts
Candidate Drops Out Of School Board Race In Hudson Valley After Offensive Facebook Posts A prospective school board candidate in the Hudson Valley has ducked out of the race after multiple racist, offensive, and anti-Semitic posts made over the course of nearly a decade on social media resurfaced. In Putnam County, Robert “Bobby” Palazzo, age 70, who was running for a seat on the Carmel Board of Education has reportedly dropped out of the race after the inflammatory posts were leaked to the public, including several targeting former President Barack Obama. “Obama want a banana?” one post from January 2010 read above a photo of the former president. Another simply stated, “Oba…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Astorino Says He Didn't See Nazi Symbols Displayed While He Spoke At Anti-Vax Protest Astorino Says He Didn't See Nazi Symbols Displayed While He Spoke At Anti-Vax Protest
Astorino Says He Didn't See Nazi Symbols Displayed While He Spoke At Anti-Vax Protest Anti-vaccine protesters who displayed Nazi and hateful images outside a Jewish lawmaker’s office landed Republican New York gubernatorial hopeful Rob Astorino in hot water. On Sunday, Nov. 14, protesters led by Astorino, the former Westchester County Executive, and 2014 Republican New York gubernatorial nominee, congregated outside Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz’s office to speak out against the lawmaker’s proposed bill to require all New York students to get vaccinated in order to attend class. However, amongst the vociferous group of protesters, at least one woman held a poster that …

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by Zak Failla
News
Police Investigate Racist, Anti-Semitic Graffiti At Yale University Police Investigate Racist, Anti-Semitic Graffiti At Yale University
Police Investigate Racist, Anti-Semitic Graffiti At Yale University An investigation has been launched at Yale University after two separate instances of anti-Semitic and racially charged graffiti that were discovered at a construction site on campus. The Yale Police Department launched an investigation into anti-Semitic and racist graffiti that were reportedly spray-painted inside the construction site for Kline Biology Tower in New Haven County, which has been closed since work began at the site, according to Yale Police Chief Ronnell Higgins. Higgins said that on Monday, Sept. 20, members of the construction crew working in the area found the graffiti sp…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Police Investigate Racist, Anti-Semitic Graffiti At Yale University Police Investigate Racist, Anti-Semitic Graffiti At Yale University
Police Investigate Racist, Anti-Semitic Graffiti At Yale University An investigation has been launched at Yale University after two separate instances of anti-Semitic and racially charged graffiti that was discovered at a construction site on campus. The Yale Police Department launched an investigation into anti-Semitic and racist graffiti that were reportedly spray-painted inside the construction site for Kline Biology Tower in New Haven County, which has been closed since work began at the site, according to Yale Police Chief Ronnell Higgins. Higgins said that on Monday, Sept. 20, members of the construction crew working in the area found the graffiti spr…

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by Zak Failla
News
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Discovered At School In Area Anti-Semitic Graffiti Discovered At School In Area
Anti-Semitic Graffiti Discovered At School In Area A playground in the Hudson Valley was defaced with anti-Semitic symbols that were tagged on equipment, officials said. Vandalism at North Garnerville Elementary School in Rockland County was recently found with swastikas spray-painted on its steps and indistinguishable lettering that was hateful toward the Jewish community. The incident is currently being investigated as a potential hate crime by police.  Officials noted that the area is no longer used as an active elementary school, but its playground is still frequented by local children. “We're not sure what that means, we're not …

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by Zak Failla
Sports
HS Football Coach Fired For Use Of Anti-Semitic Play Calls HS Football Coach Fired For Use Of Anti-Semitic Play Calls
HS Football Coach Fired For Use Of Anti-Semitic Play Calls A Massachusetts high school football coach got sacked after his team allegedly used anti-Semitic language on the field during a recent game. Duxbury High School announced that it was "severing ties" with coach Dave Maimaron and canceling the football team’s next game as a result of his players reportedly shouting “highly offensive” terms during its game against Plymouth North. According to reports, the words “rabbi,” and “dreidel” were used, and there were mentions of Auschwitz during the game. Some of the terms may have also been substituted for the names of plays. “The outrage is real, w…

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by Zak Failla
News
Hudson Valley Man Charged With Making Anti-Semitic Death Threats To Fairfield County Resident Hudson Valley Man Charged With Making Anti-Semitic Death Threats To Fairfield County Resident
Hudson Valley Man Charged With Making Anti-Semitic Death Threats To Fairfield County Resident Federal officials have taken a Hudson Valley man into custody for allegedly making anti-Semitic death threats to a Jewish person from Fairfield County during religious holidays. Rockland County resident Christopher Rascoll, who has faced criminal charges before, has been charged with making death threats to the Stratford resident last year, beginning on the first day of Hanukkah. It is alleged that on Dec. 23 last year, Rascoll, of Blauvelt, began sending his victim - who is Jewish - threatening text messages, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham said.  In several messages, …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Swastika Drawn On Student's Desk At High School In Area, Police Say Swastika Drawn On Student's Desk At High School In Area, Police Say
Swastika Drawn On Student's Desk At High School In Area, Police Say A swastika was found drawn on a desk inside a Rockland County high school, officials said. The Clarkstown Police Department is currently investigating an incident where a swastika was found drawn on a student’s desk at Clarkstown South High School. It was reportedly drawn between Friday, Feb. 28 and Tuesday, March 3, police said. “We regret to inform you of the disturbing fact that a drawing of a swastika was found on a student desk in a South High School classroom this week,” South High School Principal Deb Tarantino and Schools Superintendent Martin Cox wrote in a note to parents. “This a…

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by Zak Failla
News
Swastika, Racial Slur Found Written In Bathroom At High School In Westchester Swastika, Racial Slur Found Written In Bathroom At High School In Westchester
Swastika, Racial Slur Found Written In Bathroom At High School In Westchester More messages of hate were found etched into a bathroom inside a Westchester school. A swastika and slurs were found etched into a toilet paper dispenser at the Sleepy Hollow High School, officials said in a message to parents on Thursday, Jan. 9. The dispenser has since been replaced and an investigation has been launched. The latest incident comes after several similar instances at multiple schools throughout Westchester in the past few months. "Although it should go without saying, I want to be clear that the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns condemns all expressions of hate and int…

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by Zak Failla
News
Feds Charge Monsey Suspect With Hate Crimes As Family Cites History Of Mental Illness Feds Charge Monsey Suspect With Hate Crimes As Family Cites History Of Mental Illness
Feds Charge Monsey Suspect With Hate Crimes As Family Cites History Of Mental Illness Federal prosecutors have filed hate crimes charges against the man accused of allegedly stabbing five people at a Hasidic rabbi’s Monsey home during a Hanukkah celebration. The charges come after calls for action on hate crimes from state and federal officials, as well as the public and religious leaders. The criminal complaint, filed in the White Plains federal court, provides a glimpse into what may have motivated Grafton Thomas, 31, of Orange County, to carry out his bloody rampage on Saturday, Dec. 28. Thomas’s family said in a statement on Sunday, Dec. 29, that he had a long history o…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Authorities Investigating If Monsey Hanukkah Attack May Be Linked To Other Recent Hate Crimes Authorities Investigating If Monsey Hanukkah Attack May Be Linked To Other Recent Hate Crimes
Authorities Investigating If Monsey Hanukkah Attack May Be Linked To Other Recent Hate Crimes As bail was set at $5 million for the man accused of stabbing five people during a Hanukkah gathering at a rabbi's home in Rockland County, law enforcement officials are working to determine if the attack is linked to other recent hate crimes. Ramapo Police said Grafton Thomas, a 37-year-old from Greenwood Lake, in Orange County, has been charged with five counts of attempted murder, and one count of burglary.  Thomas is being held at the Rockland County Jail, for the brutal attack late Saturday night, Dec. 28, in Monsey, as investigators work to connect him to other unsolved hate crim…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Five Stabbed During Hanukkah Celebration In Apparent Anti-Semitic Attack In Rockland Five Stabbed During Hanukkah Celebration In Apparent Anti-Semitic Attack In Rockland
Five Stabbed During Hanukkah Celebration In Apparent Anti-Semitic Attack In Rockland Click here for an updated story: ID Released For Rockland Hannukah Knife Attack Suspect  A suspect is in custody after five people were stabbing during a Hanukkah celebration in an apparent anti-Semitic attack in Rockland County. The incident happened just before 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28 at the home of  Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg on 47 Forshay Road in Monsey. Two victims are in critical condition, including one with wounds to the head, according to authorities. The rabbi's son was also one of the victims and is recovering, authorities said. Fifty to 60 people were in…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Some Syracuse University Students Leave Campus Early Due To Security Concerns Some Syracuse University Students Leave Campus Early Due To Security Concerns
Some Syracuse University Students Leave Campus Early Due To Security Concerns Citing safety concerns following a string of racist incidents and hate crimes, some Syracuse University students are leaving campus early before the official start of the Thanksgiving holiday break. This month, there have been at least a dozen incidents reported on campus, including racist graffiti, the shouting of racial slurs, swastikas posted and a white supremacist manifesto that was sent to students’ phones. The Daily Orange reported that some professors opted to cancel some classes this week, while the Department of Public Safety has been on high alert. The student newspaper said that…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Wearing Baseball Cap With Swastika Escorted By Police Out Of Westchester Diner Man Wearing Baseball Cap With Swastika Escorted By Police Out Of Westchester Diner
Man Wearing Baseball Cap With Swastika Escorted By Police Out Of Westchester Diner A man wearing a baseball hat with a swastika on it at an area diner was escorted out of the establishment by police in Westchester. The incident took place on Friday, Oct. 11, at the City Limits Diner in White Plains, according to the restaurant's owner on Facebook. Nick Livanos, who has run the popular diner, along with his family for more than 25 years, wrote that in the mid-afternoon, a man entered wearing a baseball cap with a yarmulke attached to the top of it with a swastika drawn on it. "At the time he entered the restaurant, the host was unable to see the top of his head and did no…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Swastikas Found Carved Into Starbucks Bathroom Door In Rockland Swastikas Found Carved Into Starbucks Bathroom Door In Rockland
Swastikas Found Carved Into Starbucks Bathroom Door In Rockland The discovery of two swastikas carved into the bathroom door of a Starbucks in Rockland County has drawn ire from both local and state officials. It's also caused officials to hammer the Starbucks' management in Nyack where the event took place more than three weeks ago, was not reported to police, and the fact that the swastikas were still visible, said Rockland County Executive Ed Day. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is also outraged that the crime was not reported and the doors are still in the restroom at the coffee shop located at 80 Main St., Nyack. One of the swastikas on the Starbucks door.E…

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by Kathy Reakes
Politics
GOP Video Ad Warning Of Hasidic Takeover In Rockland Removed After Backlash GOP Video Ad Warning Of Hasidic Takeover In Rockland Removed After Backlash
GOP Video Ad Warning Of Hasidic Takeover In Rockland Removed After Backlash The Rockland County Republican Party has removed a video from its Facebook page that cautioned of a “takeover” by the Hasidic Jewish community amid widespread backlash from politicians, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James. A video posted Wednesday, Aug. 28 which was widely circulated, included phrases that portrayed a housing development for Hasidic Jews as a “threat.” James called the video “deeply disturbing” in a post on social media. “The anti-Semitic video from the Rockland County GOP is deeply disturbing. They must remove & condemn it. Saying that members of the Jewis…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
State Bill Would Teach Students About Hateful Symbols State Bill Would Teach Students About Hateful Symbols
State Bill Would Teach Students About Hateful Symbols Middle and high school students in New York may soon be taught the meaning of hateful symbols such as the swastika and noose as part of new legislation that has been introduced by state lawmakers. With reports of hate crimes on the rise statewide, including dozens on Long Island and the Hudson Valley, lawmakers are seeking to improve student education on racist and anti-Semitic symbolism. In Nassau County, there have already been 44 reported incidents, more than double at this point last year. Last week, seven swastikas were found drawn on a pavilion at an Oyster Bay park, and nooses have …

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Video: Cuomo Says After Anti-Semitic Incident In Hudson Valley Rise In Hate Crimes A Concern Video: Cuomo Says After Anti-Semitic Incident In Hudson Valley Rise In Hate Crimes A Concern
Video: Cuomo Says After Anti-Semitic Incident In Hudson Valley Rise In Hate Crimes A Concern Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett joined forces to make a strong statement following the arrest of a Saugerties man for an anti-Semitic hate crime. "If you attack a Jewish person, you attack me. If you attack a Muslim person, you attack me. You attack an LGBTQ member, you attack me,” said Cuomo during the Friday, March 22 address. “That's the New York credo...Bias-related crimes, hate crimes, are not just wrong, they're not just unethical, they're not just immoral - they are illegal and we will prosecute every case to the fullest extent of the law. And …

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by Valerie Musson
News
ID Released For Teen Charged With Hate Crime At SUNY Purchase ID Released For Teen Charged With Hate Crime At SUNY Purchase
ID Released For Teen Charged With Hate Crime At SUNY Purchase A teenage SUNY Purchase student has been arraigned after spreading more than a dozen Nazi-themed posters on campus over the weekend. Gunnar Hassard, 18, was arraigned in Harrison Town Court on Tuesday, Dec. 11, after as many as 16 posters were spread throughout the SUNY Purchase campus on Anderson Hill Road in Harrison on Sunday. The posters reportedly had images of Adolf Hitler and a swastika. Hassard, of Oneonta, allegedly hung multiple posters, which incorporated a swastika and symbols of Nazi Germany, on and near the Humanities Building. The complaint states that the flyers on the campu…

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by Zak Failla
News
NY State Police Increase Patrols At Jewish Centers, Synagogues After Pittsburgh Mass Shooting NY State Police Increase Patrols At Jewish Centers, Synagogues After Pittsburgh Mass Shooting
NY State Police Increase Patrols At Jewish Centers, Synagogues After Pittsburgh Mass Shooting This story has been updated. New York State Police will be increasing patrols around Jewish centers and synagogues after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday morning, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. Eleven people were killed at Tree of Life Congregation in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh during a baby-naming ceremony. Six were injured, including four police officers. The civilian injuries are described as critical, the injuries to the officers non-life threatening. A suspect, identified as 46-year-old Pittsburgh resident Rob Bower, is in custody and is being hospital…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Hate Flyers Linked To Neo-Nazi Group Found At Two Area Colleges Hate Flyers Linked To Neo-Nazi Group Found At Two Area Colleges
Hate Flyers Linked To Neo-Nazi Group Found At Two Area Colleges A pair of Hudson Valley colleges were among four in the country that had anti-Semitic fliers blaming Jewish people for the allegations of sexual assault against newly sworn-in Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh posted on campuses this week. Fliers that read "Every time some Anti-White, Anti-American, Anti-freedom event takes place, you look at it, and it’s Jews behind it,” written in all capital letters cropped up on the campuses of Vassar and Marist colleges this week. They also say “brought to you by your local Stormer Book Club,” which is considered to be a group of white supremac…

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by Zak Failla