Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 13, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 13, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
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  Speaker 1: today with a disturbing physical assault reported in Berlin. According
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  Speaker 1: to police, a 43-year-old woman wearing a star of David
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  Speaker 1: necklace was attacked by two men in the early hours
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  Speaker 1: of Friday morning. As reported by the Berlin police, the
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  Speaker 1: assailants noticed her necklace, hurled antisemitic insults, and then assaulted
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  Speaker 1: her with a broken glass bottle. The woman attempted to
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  Speaker 1: defend herself and suffered cuts to her hand, requiring hospital treatment.
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  Speaker 1: The suspects fled the scene, and no arrests have yet
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  Speaker 1: been made. The investigation has been taken up by the
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  Speaker 1: Berlin Criminal Police's State Security Division. This incident is part
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  Speaker 1: of a concerning trend. Berlin authorities recorded 2,268 antisemitic offenses
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  Speaker 1: in 2025, a rise of over 24% from the previous year,
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  Speaker 1: with 64 classified as violent offenses. Police have not provided
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  Speaker 1: further details on the suspects or the victims' current condition,
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  Speaker 1: but a prosecutor's representative warned that such attacks harm not
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  Speaker 1: only victims, but also the broader sense of security within
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  Speaker 1: the city's Jewish community. Turning now to rhetoric and public discourse,
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  Speaker 1: pop singer Pink has spoken out about the challenges of
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  Speaker 1: defending Jewish people. As Detailed by Reporting reviewed for this episode,
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  Speaker 1: Pink shared a post on Instagram criticizing rapper Macklemore's recent performance.
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  Speaker 1: During concerts on September 4th and 5th, Macklemore called to
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  Speaker 1: free Palestine and accused Israel of committing genocide, accompanied by
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  Speaker 1: footage from the war in Gaza. Pink, who identifies as Jewish,
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  Speaker 1: stated that she was scared by his comments. She clarified
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  Speaker 1: her position, affirming that Hamas is a terrorist organization, Palestinians
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  Speaker 1: deserve a future, and innocent life must be protected everywhere.
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  Speaker 1: She also referenced a past incident where Macklemore wore an
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  Speaker 1: anti-Semitic costume and noting that while he apologized then, his
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  Speaker 1: recent actions felt different. Pink described standing up for her
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  Speaker 1: own people as lonelier than that. In a separate development
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  Speaker 1: highlighting institutional responses to past antisemitism, the Metropolitan Museum of
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  Speaker 1: Art cancelled a planned exhibition and gala honoring fashion designer
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  Speaker 1: John Galliano. As reported, Galliano was convicted of hate crimes
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  Speaker 1: in France in 2011 for antisemitic and racist tirades, including
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  Speaker 1: making remarks like, I love Hitler, and calling someone a
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  Speaker 1: fucking Jewish bitch. The decision to honor him sparked immediate
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  Speaker 1: backlash from New York politicians, including Democratic congressional candidate Brad
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  Speaker 1: Lander and Assemblyman Micah Lasher, who called it a terrible idea.
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  Speaker 1: The Speaker of the New York City Council and prominent
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  Speaker 1: donors also pressured the Met. The museum formally nixed the
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  Speaker 1: exhibition after intense scrutiny. Gagliano had previously engaged in an
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  Speaker 1: apology and educational process with Jewish leaders following his conviction. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: a recent opinion piece contrasts the Republican Party's direct condemnation
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  Speaker 1: of figures like David Duke with the Democratic Party's handling
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  Speaker 1: of anti-Semitic statements from streamer Hassan Piker. Piker, who has
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  Speaker 1: millions of followers and has appeared with prominent Democrats, made
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  Speaker 1: remarks such as calling Israel, the Jewish ISIS, and Hamas 1,000
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  Speaker 1: times better than Israel. While some Democratic leaders, including House
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  Speaker 1: Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, condemned anti-Semitism and statements blaming American Jews,
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  Speaker 1: they often avoided naming Piker. The article points to a
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  Speaker 1: perceived difference in political accountability, with Republicans confronting controversial figures directly,
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  Speaker 1: while Democrats have been criticized for more indirect responses, potentially
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  Speaker 1: due to Piker's influence among a younger, progressive base. In
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  Speaker 1: corporate news, an antisemitism controversy has emerged involving AIG. According
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  Speaker 1: to reporting reviewed for this episode, an employee of AIG
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  Speaker 1: posted antisemitic remarks online, leading to a threat to withdraw
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  Speaker 1: advertising from the media outlet Newstalk. AIG has declined to
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  Speaker 1: comment on the response from its Irish management to this situation.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so you don't
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: miss the next update. This report was generated with AI
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  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
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  Speaker 1: primary sources.