Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear criticizes Gaza ‘genocide’ discourse ‘litmus test’ for Democrats
(JTA) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declined to label Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” in an interview with Politico published Mar. 29, instead critiquing the question as a litmus test among Democrats.
“That’s becoming one of those new litmus tests that we said we would never do as a party again,” Beshear told Politico’s Dasha Burns after being asked if he agreed with the label. “It’s trying to throw out a word and, ‘Are you going to raise your hand or are you not going to?’”
Beshear is the Democratic governor of a solidly red state and a potential 2028 presidential contender. His remarks come as Democratic candidates increasingly grapple with their stances on Israel amid record low support for Israel among its base.
While several lawmakers, including Vermont’s Jewish Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent, have called Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide,” the label has not gained mainstream support in the Democratic party. Last October, former Vice President Kamala Harris declined to use the “genocide” label, which Israel had long rejected, but said, “We should all step back and ask this question and be honest about it.”
Some Democrats have embraced the question, with a New York congressional candidate telling the leftist streamer Hasan Piker this week that she is “100%” comfortable with the issue serving as a litmus test in her party.
NYPD stopped reporting hate crimes being probed in February; March numbers surge back to January ones
(JNS) — After New York City recorded a 182% increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes in the first month of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral term, in January, the New York City Police Department said in February that it was changing its approach to reporting statistics, and it would no longer share information about hate crimes that were still being investigated. The police department promptly reported that under the downsized metric, hate crimes were down in the city, with 38 such incidents.
According to data on the NYPD website that is current as of March 29, the number of hate crimes in New York City has returned to January numbers, with 51 hate crimes recorded until that date. The data, which is posted to the NYPD CompState 2.0 tool, records 34 hate crimes in the city in February and 55 in January. The 140 hate crimes to date this year represent a 16.7% increase over the 120 last year, per the NYPD.
The city hasn’t yet put out a statement about the March hate crime statistics, but even with the change, anti-Jewish hate crimes in New York City represented more than 55% of all hate crimes in the city in February.
Jewish leaders applaud Wisconsin’s adoption of bill combating Jew-hatred
(JNS) — The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations welcomed Wisconsin’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Jew-hatred following legislation signed by Gov. Tony Evers on Mar 30.
The measure, Assembly Bill 446—now Wisconsin Act 143—requires state and local agencies to consider the IHRA definition, including its examples, when evaluating evidence of discriminatory intent and in applying hate-crime penalty enhancements.
Evers, a Democrat, signed the bipartisan bill into law after it passed both chambers of the Legislature. Ron Tusler, a Republican state representative, introduced the measure.
“Confronting antisemitism is not a partisan issue, but a shared responsibility,” the Conference of Presidents stated.
“At a moment when Jewish communities face rising threats and hostility, leaders need clear, practical tools. The IHRA definition provides that clarity,” the group stated. “It equips policymakers, educators, and law enforcement to recognize antisemitism, including when it appears in new or disguised forms.”
University of Washington removes Middle East center director, who wrote email blaming Israel for Iran war
(JNS) — Aria Fani, an associate professor at University of Washington, who holds the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali professorship in Persian and Iranian studies and who directs the public Seattle school’s Persian and Iranian studies program, is the only one of 20 full-time faculty and staff members on the university’s webpage for its Middle Eastern languages and cultures program whose email address isn’t listed.
But JNS sought comment from him on Apr. 1 after the university removed him as director of the Middle East Center at its Jackson School of International Studies for sending an email newsletter framing Israel as the aggressor in the Iran war.
“On leave until September,” Fani stated in an autoreply to a JNS email. “Will not check email with capitalist frequency.”
The professor reportedly wrote in a March 18 newsletter, which he sent via the center’s listserv, that “Israeli actions tell us that they seek the destruction of the state, not just its ruling class.” The email, titled “More notes on the Iran war,” reportedly added that it “was always BS” that the Islamic Republic was pursuing nuclear weapons.
David Rey, associate director of strategic communications at the university, told the Daily, a student paper, on Apr 1 that Fani is no longer the director of the center and that “Daniel Hoffman, the director of the Jackson School of International Studies, will cover the administrative responsibilities of the Middle East Center for this spring and summer.”
