Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - October 1, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - October 1, 2026, 05 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
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  Speaker 1: tracking critical developments in the ongoing fight against antisemitism, from
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  Speaker 1: allegations against a major European political figure to systemic issues
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  Speaker 1: in North American schools and complex responses from City Hall.
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  Speaker 1: In France, far-right National Rally president Jordan Bardella is facing
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  Speaker 1: renewed scrutiny over alleged antisemitic remarks made in private messages
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  Speaker 1: between 2013 and 2015. French investigative outlet Mediapart published screenshots
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  Speaker 1: it says were independently authenticated, containing phrases such as, all
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  Speaker 1: the banks are owned by Jews, and that the Jew
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  Speaker 1: must dominate other peoples. Bardella has denied the allegations, calling
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  Speaker 1: them blatant falsehoods and a destabilization attempt. Notably, Israel's diaspora
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  Speaker 1: affairs minister Amikai Chikli has defended Bardella. stating that what
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  Speaker 1: matters is the man he has become in the 15
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  Speaker 1: years since, citing Bardella's stance against antisemitism and his visit
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  Speaker 1: to the October 7th attack sites. JTA reported on the controversy,
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  Speaker 1: noting Bardella's party achieved historic gains in recent Senate elections. AOL.co.uk
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  Speaker 1: also detailed Mediapart's claims of court-certified evidence. In New York City,
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Zoran Mamdani announced a $ 7. 4 million plan to combat antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: including funding for security and prevention programs. However, the plan
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  Speaker 1: has drawn criticism, notably for omitting a definition of antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: a move that rescinded his predecessor's policy codifying the IHRA definition.
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  Speaker 1: This comes as his wife, Rama Duwaji, reportedly attended an
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  Speaker 1: Islamic wellness retreat in Portugal. Organizers of this retreat, according
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  Speaker 1: to reporting by the Washington Free Beacon, and covered by
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  Speaker 1: town hall posted calls for Israel's destruction and a cleansing
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  Speaker 1: of its oppressors. Town hall and epicenter NYC have detailed
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  Speaker 1: the controversy, highlighting the contrast between the mayor's stated goals
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  Speaker 1: and his wife's alleged associations. Mamdani himself has been criticized
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  Speaker 1: for past actions regarding anti-Semitism policy, including removing previous anti-Semitism
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  Speaker 1: plans from city policy on his first day in office.
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  Speaker 1: The Washington Examiner also noted Mamdani, alongside others, skirts issues
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  Speaker 1: involving Israel or refuses to condemn terrorist apologists, contributing to
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  Speaker 1: what it calls an alarming normalization of antisemitism across political discourse.
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  Speaker 1: In Ontario, Canada, a dozen Jewish teachers have filed human
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  Speaker 1: rights complaints against four school boards and two teachers' unions.
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  Speaker 1: As reported by the Toronto Sun, they allege systemic discrimination
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  Speaker 1: and persistent antisemitism. their lawyer stated that teachers reporting antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: have faced discipline or disbelief, with some wrongly accused of
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  Speaker 1: discrimination themselves. The complaints seek damages and call for the
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  Speaker 1: boards and unions to adopt transparent policies to combat antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: including endorsing the IHRA working definition. The teachers cite examples
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  Speaker 1: like seeing swastikas at work and facing retaliation for speaking out.
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  Speaker 1: On the K-12 level, Wakanda High School in Illinois experienced
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  Speaker 1: a security scare after a bomb threat was made on TikTok.
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  Speaker 1: Lake and McHenry County scanner reported that police quickly evacuated
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  Speaker 1: the building and conducted a thorough search, confirming no credible threat.
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  Speaker 1: The threat was made from a fake account impersonating a
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  Speaker 1: recently arrested teacher. Meanwhile, the University of San Diego was
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  Speaker 1: vandalized with antisemitic graffiti, an incident highlighted by Jewish Journal
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  Speaker 1: as an example of less widely reported forms of antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: At the university level, the NY, Post reported that Northwestern
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  Speaker 1: University is scheduled to host staged readings of the play,
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  Speaker 1: October 7, based on survivor accounts of the Hamas-led attacks.
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  Speaker 1: Student concerns have been raised about the normalization of anti-Israel
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  Speaker 1: sentiment on campus, while others see the play as a
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  Speaker 1: way to understand the human impact of the atrocities. a
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  Speaker 1: similar production is slated for Cornell University. Internationally, Combat Antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: Movement reports on pervasive antisemitism in Houthi-run Yemen, describing it
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  Speaker 1: as a way of life and quoting the sentiment, a
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  Speaker 1: curse upon the Jews. The analysis also notes that normalization
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  Speaker 1: in the Middle East fails to halt terrorism targeting Jews,
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  Speaker 1: referencing a planned attack patterned after 9-11. In France, widespread
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  Speaker 1: student protests over school conditions have escalated, leading to hundreds
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  Speaker 1: of arrests and acts of violence, including principals being injured.
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  Speaker 1: Fox News reports that authorities are warning of urban violence
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  Speaker 1: and attempted arson, with concerns that outside agitators are fueling
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  Speaker 1: unrest and that these protests could become a political flashpoint.
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  Speaker 1: This unrest coincides with warnings about a global rise in antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: Turning to policy responses, Pennsylvania state senators held a hearing
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  Speaker 1: on September 30 to address anti-Semitic harassment and classroom bias
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  Speaker 1: in public schools. As JNS reported, educators, parents, and Jewish
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  Speaker 1: leaders testified about incidents like swastikas on desks and curriculum bias.
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  Speaker 1: The North American Values Institute's director noted the hearing could
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  Speaker 1: help build an official record to press school districts for change.
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  Speaker 1: In a significant legal development, a U.S. immigration judge ruled
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  Speaker 1: that Sala Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee,
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  Speaker 1: can be deported. According to Al Jazeera, the ruling was
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  Speaker 1: partly based on a memo from the Secretary of State
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  Speaker 1: stating Sarsour's actions undermine U.S. foreign policy to combat antisemitism worldwide.
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  Speaker 1: Back in New York City, Mayor Zoran Mamdani announced a
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  Speaker 1: plan to combat antisemitism, allocating $ 7. 4 million for security measures
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  Speaker 1: and hate prevention, as detailed by epicenter NYC. A key
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  Speaker 1: point of contention, however, is the plan's omission of any
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  Speaker 1: definition for antisemitism. This follows Mamdani's decision on his first
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  Speaker 1: day in office to cancel executive orders by his predecessor,
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  Speaker 1: Eric Adams, one of which had codified the IHRA definition
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  Speaker 1: of antisemitism into city policy. Blogs.timesofisrael.com also noted the pledge
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  Speaker 1: of millions for security amid an upsurge in incidents. On
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  Speaker 1: a more positive note, a school has become the first
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  Speaker 1: college to join Project Shema and the Ruderman Family Foundation
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  Speaker 1: program aimed at fighting antisemitism, planning to train future psychologists
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  Speaker 1: to confront hatred. Jewishrody.com reported on this initiative. Finally, regarding
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  Speaker 1: rhetoric that meets IHRA's criteria, the Combat Antisemitism Movement reports
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  Speaker 1: that CAIR is booking Ana Kasparian as a keynote speaker
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  Speaker 1: for two galas. Kasparian has previously stated that Israelis are
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  Speaker 1: the new Nazis and used support for Israel as evidence
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  Speaker 1: of disloyalty. Actions that critics argue fall under IHRA's examples
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  Speaker 1: of antisemitism. As we close, we turn to community response
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  Speaker 1: and positive developments. YouTube featured discussions on the vital role
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  Speaker 1: of non-Jewish individuals in combating antisemitism, particularly in the wake
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  Speaker 1: of the October 7th attacks. Facebook highlighted Andrew Frank's, who
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  Speaker 1: received a Pride of Britain award for his selfless actions
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  Speaker 1: addressing the daily threat of antisemitic hatred and the need
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  Speaker 1: for security around synagogues and schools. And Bend the Ark
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  Speaker 1: drew parallels between Jewish tradition, like the continuous reading of
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  Speaker 1: the Torah, and the essential, often exhausting, work of protecting democracy.
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  Speaker 1: They argue that Jewish values call us to engage in
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  Speaker 1: this fight with resilience and devotion. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in
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  Speaker 1: your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
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  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.