Overview

• On The Adam Friedland Show, Jewish comedian and former Israel resident Adam Friedland called Israel’s Gaza campaign “a genocide” and described rising hostility toward Jews in the U.S.
• Rep. Ritchie Torres rejected any justification for antisemitism, disputed that Israeli policy intentionally targets civilians, and stressed that Hamas committed terrorist murders on October 7, 2023.
• The exchange turned tense as Friedland cited high civilian death rates, referencing IDF data, while Torres called the war a tragedy without accepting Friedland’s characterization.
• Torres labeled the conversation a “gotcha interview,” said Israel is not his top constituency issue in the Bronx, and left without a handshake as clips went viral.
• Newsweek’s account adds AP-cited Gaza Health Ministry figures of more than 62,000 killed since Israel’s offensive, and notes Torres’ stated support for a two-state solution.