Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 4, 2026, 05 AM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 4, 2026, 05 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. In Washington,
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  Speaker 1: the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Protect Economic
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  Speaker 1: and Academic Freedom Act, a bill that would cut federal
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  Speaker 1: funding to universities engaged in boycotts of Israel. The legislation,
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  Speaker 1: which passed by a vote of 237 to 169, aims
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  Speaker 1: to counter the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, and what
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  Speaker 1: proponents call tangible campaigns of antisemitism. The bill's sponsors, Republican
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  Speaker 1: Representative Virginia Fox and Democrat Josh Gotthamer, stated that taxpayer
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  Speaker 1: money should not go to institutions that discriminate against Israel. However,
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  Speaker 1: opponents like Democrat Gerald Nadler and Bobby Scott raised concerns
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  Speaker 1: about protecting free expression and noted that no U.S. college
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  Speaker 1: has fully embraced the BDS movement, warning the bill risks
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  Speaker 1: inflaming anti-Semitism. The bill now moves to the Senate. with
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  Speaker 1: AIPAC backing the legislation and J Street opposing it. Across
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  Speaker 1: the globe, Australian novelist Richard Flanagan has sparked controversy by
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  Speaker 1: asserting that the deadly Islamist terrorist attack at Bondi Beach
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  Speaker 1: in 2025, which targeted Jewish Australians, was not an anti-Semitic act.
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  Speaker 1: According to reporting, Flanagan described claims of rising Australian anti-Semitism
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  Speaker 1: as a destructive myth and accused the Israel lobby of
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  Speaker 1: politicising the tragedy. He further suggested that some incidents following
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  Speaker 1: the October 7th attacks should be viewed as legitimate protests
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  Speaker 1: rather than antisemitism. In U.S. politics, Vice President J.D. Vance
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  Speaker 1: stated he will not disavow his friend Tucker Carlson, the
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  Speaker 1: former Fox News personality known for spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories.
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  Speaker 1: Vance acknowledged political disagreements with Carlson but defended their friendship,
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  Speaker 1: stating he would not play the game where I throw
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  Speaker 1: friends under the bus. Vance's refusal to distance himself from
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  Speaker 1: Carlson drew criticism from some members of the Republican Jewish Coalition,
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  Speaker 1: who had previously expressed unease with his close relationship to Carlson.
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  Speaker 1: Vance argued that maintaining friendships across political disagreements is essential
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  Speaker 1: for discourse. Meanwhile, an analysis of a letter signed by
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  Speaker 1: over 170 Jewish artists, writers, academics, and faith leaders defending
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  Speaker 1: actor Mark Ruffalo against anti-Semitism accusations has highlighted how the
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  Speaker 1: defense inadvertently employed historical antisemitic tropes. The article argues that
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  Speaker 1: descriptions of a proposed business deal, using terms like oligarchic
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  Speaker 1: control and linking figures to broader systems of media ownership
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  Speaker 1: and political influence, echo classic antisemitic stereotypes of Jewish control.
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  Speaker 1: The signatories aimed to argue Ruffalo's comments were not antisemitic,
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  Speaker 1: but the analysis suggests the language used to defend him
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  Speaker 1: risked invoking these tropes. Turning to international incidents, reports from
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  Speaker 1: Spain indicate that antisemitic incidents there have risen by 14.5%,
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  Speaker 1: with Jewish groups warning that hatred is becoming normalized. In
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  Speaker 1: the political sphere, U.S., Representative Michael Baumgartner, who serves on
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  Speaker 1: the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, has criticized
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  Speaker 1: what he calls woke stuff in higher education, such as
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  Speaker 1: gender and ethnic studies, advocating instead for degrees with actual value,
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  Speaker 1: and true academic inquiry. Baumgartner also mentioned that Congress has
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  Speaker 1: held hearings on antisemitism on college campuses and the experiences
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  Speaker 1: of Jewish students. On the broader landscape of combating antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt described the organization as being at
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  Speaker 1: a moment of reckoning due to surging antisemitism. Greenblatt stated
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  Speaker 1: that the ADL is now fighting petrol-funded heavyweights and is
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  Speaker 1: turning to AI for reinforcements. Finally, Israeli President Herzog has
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  Speaker 1: reportedly warned New York City Mayor Mamdani against antisemitic rhetoric,
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  Speaker 1: with local Jewish leaders having blamed such rhetoric for issues
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  Speaker 1: related to Israel. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for joining
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  Speaker 1: me on Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast
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  Speaker 1: app so you don't miss the next update. This report
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  Speaker 1: was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please
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  Speaker 1: verify important details with primary sources. Thank you.