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Antisemitism Watch - August 31, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we
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  Speaker 1: begin with the ongoing trauma and fear within the Jewish
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  Speaker 1: community in the UK, marked by a memorial service for
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  Speaker 1: victims of the Heaton Park Synagogue attack. Around 800 people,
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  Speaker 1: including Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mervis and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner,
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  Speaker 1: gathered to remember Melvin Kravitz and Adrian Dalby, who were
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  Speaker 1: killed in the October 2025 attack. Rabbi Daniel Walker noted
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  Speaker 1: that the community feels less safe now than immediately after
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  Speaker 1: the incident, citing rising antisemitism and a lack of action
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  Speaker 1: to address core problems, leaving many members feeling increasingly vulnerable.
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  Speaker 1: King Charles sent a message expressing his thoughts and prayers,
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  Speaker 1: while Angela Rayner spoke of the obsessive, intense hatred of
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  Speaker 1: Jews and stated unequivocally that any attack on Jews is
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  Speaker 1: an attack on all of us. Speakers emphasized resilience, with
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  Speaker 1: Raffaei Bloom noting that their spirit remains, sending a message
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  Speaker 1: they will not be intimidated. We turn now to a
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  Speaker 1: significant institutional response in the arts world. The Metropolitan Museum
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  Speaker 1: of Art has cancelled its planned exhibition and 2027 met
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  Speaker 1: gala honouring fashion designer John Galliano. Galliano himself withdrew from
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  Speaker 1: the exhibition following intense backlash over his past antisemitic and
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  Speaker 1: racist remarks from 2010 and 2011. which had previously led
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  Speaker 1: to his firing from Dior and a hate speech conviction
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  Speaker 1: in France. Critics, including New York City Council Speaker Julie
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  Speaker 1: Menon and prominent donors, had urged the Met to reconsider.
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  Speaker 1: Menon called the initial decision to honor Gagliano deeply painful
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  Speaker 1: for Jewish New Yorkers and praised the cancellation as the
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  Speaker 1: correct decision. Anna Wintour, Condé Nast's chief content officer and
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  Speaker 1: a Met trustee, initially championed Gagliano but later called his
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  Speaker 1: withdrawal very courageous. and stated her full support for him
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  Speaker 1: and the museum. The Anti-Defamation League's CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, had
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  Speaker 1: previously called the planned honor misguided, emphasizing that timing matters.
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  Speaker 1: The Met Museum stated its commitment against antisemitism, noting that
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  Speaker 1: they had consulted with Jewish organizations during the planning. In politics,
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  Speaker 1: Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed faced scrutiny for comments made
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  Speaker 1: after an antisemitic attack on Temple Israel. He stated, hurt
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  Speaker 1: people hurt people, a remark criticized for implying Jewish people
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  Speaker 1: were attacked due to their own prior actions or that
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  Speaker 1: the attacker had a point. His subsequent apology was characterized
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  Speaker 1: as insufficient by critics, using phrases like misconstrued and if
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  Speaker 1: my statement caused pain. Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance is
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  Speaker 1: scheduled to speak at the Republican Jewish Coalition gathering, an
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  Speaker 1: appearance aimed at addressing concerns over his views on Israel
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  Speaker 1: and and his association with figures like Tucker Carlson, who
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  Speaker 1: has been framed as public enemy now. One, regarding antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: Vance has faced criticism for suggesting Israeli officials manipulate US opinion,
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  Speaker 1: and for his continued connection to Carlson, who hosted antisemite
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  Speaker 1: Nick Fuentes. Some Republican Jewish coalition members expressed discomfort and
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  Speaker 1: confusion about Vance's true sentiments. And prominent figures like Bruce
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  Speaker 1: Pearl have stated Vance would need to reject Carlson for
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  Speaker 1: their support. In a separate incident, far-right internet personality Paul Miller,
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  Speaker 1: known as Gypsy Crusader, unleashed antisemitic insults against his opponent,
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  Speaker 1: King Azoulay, after a kickboxing match at the Kia Center.
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  Speaker 1: The Anti-Defamation League describes Miller as a volatile white supremacist accelerationist.
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  Speaker 1: He was also seen on video appearing to give the
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  Speaker 1: Nazi salute, and a Nazi flag was unfurled in the crowd.
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  Speaker 1: Marnie Mandel, CEO of Shalom Orlando, called the brazen conduct terrifying.
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  Speaker 1: Florida Senator Rick Scott stated, Antisemitism has no place in Florida.
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  Speaker 1: A spokesperson for the Kia Center confirmed the messaging was
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  Speaker 1: not condoned and the flag was removed. Finally, a new
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  Speaker 1: statistical study by the AMCHA Initiative reveals a significant link
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  Speaker 1: between academic events featuring speakers who support the Boycott, Divestment
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  Speaker 1: and Sanctions, or BDS, movement, and the prevalence of genocide
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  Speaker 1: accusations against Israel. The report found that such events were
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  Speaker 1: approximately 40 times more likely, to include accusations, that Israel
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  Speaker 1: is seeking to eliminate the Palestinian people. AMCHA Initiatives Executive Director,
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  Speaker 1: Tammy Rossman-Benjamin, stated that these scholar-activists' ideas have contributed to
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  Speaker 1: turning American campuses into hotbeds of anti-Jewish bigotry. I'm Rachel Adler,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for joining us on Antisemitism Watch. 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.