Day 649 - College heads, NYC comptroller on the mat over anti-Zionism

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

New York reporter Luke Tress joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

Tress discusses several universities dealing with issues of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, including Tuesday's hearing in Congress as Republican officials questioned the CUNY chancellor and presidents of Berkeley and Georgetown about foreign funding, support for terrorism on campus and harassment of Jewish students on campus, keeping up the Trump administration pressure.

He also discusses a report on Israel studies programs in universities, as a Jerusalem think tank looked at the climate on campuses, including anti-Zionism activism on campus alongside rich discussion and a broad array of viewpoints in the classroom.

Tress talks about mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and his threats to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever visited New York, as well as the current feud between New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Comptroller Brad Lander about a possible BDS conflict over New York's divestment from Israel bonds.

He also mentions the 100-year-old Adirondacks synagogue that has persisted despite the dearth of Jews in the area and the history of Jewish immigrants in rural America.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

US university heads grilled in Congress about anti-Israel terror support on campus

Shai Davidai, an outspoken Israeli professor at Columbia, leaves the university

Israeli postdoc sues Stanford for discrimination; university denies it

Israel studies programs on US campuses are at a crisis point, report warns

NYC hopeful Mamdani’s vow to arrest Netanyahu likely oversteps what US mayors can do

NYC mayor feuds with comptroller over Israel bonds investments

NY’s rural 120-year-old ‘Peddlers’ Synagogue’ charts new path — without a congregation

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

 IMAGE: FILE- Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters demonstrate on the campus of DePaul University, April 30, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file)

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