Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 23, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 23, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today we
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  Speaker 1: begin with a troubling report from New York City public schools.
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  Speaker 1: A new analysis by the United Jewish Teachers documents two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and fifty antisemitic incidents and anti Israel hostility within
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  Speaker 1: the city's school system between October seven, twenty twenty three,
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  Speaker 1: and the end of July. According to the report, nearly
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  Speaker 1: sixty five percent of these incidents involved direct targeting of
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  Speaker 1: people or property, including verbal harassment, threats, assaults, and vandalism
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  Speaker 1: like swastika's. Another significant portion, over twenty three percent, involved
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  Speaker 1: alleged bias in educational materials and classroom instruction. The report
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  Speaker 1: noted Brooklyn recorded the highest number of incidents, with ninety
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  Speaker 1: one cases. United Jewish Teachers is calling for the adoption
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  Speaker 1: of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisematism, mandatory
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  Speaker 1: training and curriculum reviews. The New York City Department of
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  Speaker 1: Education stated it has zero tolerance for hate and bias
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  Speaker 1: and investigates every reported incident. We turn now to a
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  Speaker 1: high profile dispute in the entertainment industry. Actor Mark Ruffalo
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  Speaker 1: has become entangled in an escalating row with Paramount Pictures
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  Speaker 1: over accusations of invoking antisemitic tropes. The controversy began when
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  Speaker 1: Ruffalo posted on Instagram about a potential merger between Paramount
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  Speaker 1: and Warner Bros. Discovery, linking Oracle Its co founder Larry
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  Speaker 1: Ellison and his son David Ellison to what he called
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  Speaker 1: genocide and a parteate in relation to Oracle's technology contracts
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  Speaker 1: with Israel. Paramount released a statement expressing concern when antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,
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  Speaker 1: adding that words like genocide and a partate applied to
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  Speaker 1: a corporate transaction are a bridge too far. Ruffalo rejected
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  Speaker 1: the accusation, tweeting that criticizing Israeli actions or military technology
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  Speaker 1: contracts is not the same as criticizing Jewish people, and
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  Speaker 1: he expressed deep love and respect for Jewish individuals. The
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  Speaker 1: Simon Weissenthal Center supported paramount stance, calling Ruffalo's remarks a
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  Speaker 1: text book case of obsession and demonization. In Australia, testimony
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  Speaker 1: before the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has
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  Speaker 1: raised concerns about how hate speech can be disguised a
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  Speaker 1: witness read A Jabri Markwell proposed a framework to distinguish
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  Speaker 1: between criticism of political ideologies and personal abuse. However, she
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  Speaker 1: accepted under questioning that this framework could permit dehumanizing speech
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  Speaker 1: directed at adherents of a political belief, specifically naming Zionism
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  Speaker 1: as violent extremism. The article examining this testimony argues that
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  Speaker 1: such a framework would allow modern antisemitism to disguise itself
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  Speaker 1: by targeting Zionists instead of Jews, noting that approximate at
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  Speaker 1: least seventy seven percent of Australian Jews identify as Zionists.
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  Speaker 1: Commissioner Virginia Bell also questioned Markwell regarding her acceptance of
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  Speaker 1: Israel's existence. In Paris, Israeli French singer Emir had It
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  Speaker 1: revealed that the mezusa on his home's front door was
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  Speaker 1: torn down. He shared the incident during a concert in
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  Speaker 1: Tel Aviv, stating it reflects a rise in antisemitism in France.
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  Speaker 1: According to data from the French Interior Ministry, one thousand,
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  Speaker 1: three hundred and twenty antisemitic acts were recorded in the
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  Speaker 1: country in twenty twenty five. Had It expressed his resolve,
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  Speaker 1: saying they touched an item that was important to me,
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  Speaker 1: but they will never be able to touch what's happening
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  Speaker 1: inside us here In New York, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish
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  Speaker 1: declared solidarity with Central Synagogue, framing a recent antisemitic attack
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  Speaker 1: there as part of a broader pattern of bias against Jews.
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  Speaker 1: Speaking at the synagogue, Commissioner Tish highlighted the disproportionate targeting
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  Speaker 1: of Jewish New Yorkers, noting that while Jews constitute about
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  Speaker 1: ten percent of the city's population, they are victims in
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  Speaker 1: roughly half of all hate crimes. She emphasized that the
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  Speaker 1: NYPD has been tracking attacks targeting Jewish victims globally since
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  Speaker 1: October seventh, warning that every high profile attack raises the
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  Speaker 1: risk of another. Commissioner Tisch pledged the NYPD's commitment to
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  Speaker 1: safeguarding Jewish New Yorkers and thwarting antisemitic attacks, supported by
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  Speaker 1: the Department's Counter Terrorism Capacity and Hate Crimes Task Force.
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  Speaker 1: On a more constructive note, a new report from the
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  Speaker 1: Anti Defamation League Center for Antisemitism Research indicates that education
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  Speaker 1: can be a powerful tool. Their study found that a
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  Speaker 1: single forty five minute classroom lesson can significantly reduce teenager's
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  Speaker 1: endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes, including beliefs about
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  Speaker 1: Jewish power and dual loyalty. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt stated
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  Speaker 1: that this research confirms education as a key weapon against antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: The lesson developed by Echoes and Reflections reportedly showed measurable
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  Speaker 1: drops in these harmful beliefs, even among students whose baseline
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  Speaker 1: attitudes are typically harder to shift. Finally, we look at
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  Speaker 1: the advocacy work of photographer and activist Elissa Rosenheck, author
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  Speaker 1: of the book White Blonde Jew. Rosenheck argues that anti
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  Speaker 1: Zionism has increasingly become a guise for antisemitism. Her own
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  Speaker 1: experience highlights the pressures faced by those speaking out. Her
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  Speaker 1: book launch event at an independent bookstore in Nashville was
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  Speaker 1: canceled due to alleged security concerns cited by the store
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  Speaker 1: owner following social media backlash. Rosenheck stated that hosting a
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  Speaker 1: Jewish author is not a political statement and that institutions
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  Speaker 1: often yield to pressure campaigns. Her story underscores the challenges
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  Speaker 1: of open dialogue on these sensitive issues. I'm Rachel Adler,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report was
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  Speaker 1: generated with AI assistance and may contain an accurate CES.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.