Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - October 2, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - October 2, 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: with urgent calls for accountability in the face of antisemitic violence.
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  Speaker 1: The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, CIJA, issued a
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  Speaker 1: statement ahead of the 46th anniversary of the Paris-Rue Copernic
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  Speaker 1: synagogue bombing. CIJA highlighted the ongoing case of Hassan Diab,
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  Speaker 1: convicted in France for the attack, who remains free in Canada,
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  Speaker 1: even teaching at Carleton University. They stressed that in the
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  Speaker 1: wake of recent threats, including an attack on Belville's sons
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  Speaker 1: of Jacob Synagogue, Canadian leaders must treat antisemitism as a
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  Speaker 1: national security threat. In the U.S., federal prosecutors have charged
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  Speaker 1: Jonathan Mark-Suzer with interstate threatening communications following an FBI investigation.
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  Speaker 1: According to court documents reported by News.com, Suzer allegedly posted
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  Speaker 1: online death threats against Pete Hegseth and his family, including
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  Speaker 1: urging Hegseth to target a Chabad synagogue with a service rifle,
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  Speaker 1: indicating hostility toward Jewish people. Souser has admitted to investigators
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  Speaker 1: that he made the threats. Turning internationally, Canada, once considered
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  Speaker 1: a secure haven, is now grappling with a significant rise
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  Speaker 1: in antisemitism and violence, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
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  Speaker 1: In 2025 alone, 788 hate crimes targeting Jews were recorded.
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  Speaker 1: making up 71% of all religion-motivated hate crimes. The report
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  Speaker 1: details incidents such as mezuzahs being torn from Jewish students'
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  Speaker 1: rooms at Wilfrid Laurier University and an armed man attacking
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  Speaker 1: the sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville on Yom Kippur,
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  Speaker 1: wounding a police officer. Jewish institutions have also faced gunfire
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  Speaker 1: and arson attempts. On campuses, a Denver School Board vice
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  Speaker 1: president is under scrutiny. Westwood reports that the Denver School
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  Speaker 1: Board is giving investigators just one week to examine allegations
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  Speaker 1: that Vice President Monica Hunter used antisemitic language, specifically calling
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  Speaker 1: a Jewish board member a Zionist bitch. A report is
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  Speaker 1: due October 8, the same day the board will consider
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  Speaker 1: censuring Hunter. Hunter denies the accusations. Meanwhile, in Montgomery County
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  Speaker 1: Public Schools, Superintendent Thomas Taylor has admitted a misstep in
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  Speaker 1: how the district communicated an incident involving a Nazi swastika
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  Speaker 1: found at Walter Johnson High School, failing to explicitly identify
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  Speaker 1: it as antisemitic. JNS reports that Jewish clergy expressed concern,
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  Speaker 1: citing a significant increase in hate bias incidents. At Princeton University,
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  Speaker 1: the Daily Princetonian details the challenging, yet often civil, conversations
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  Speaker 1: within the Jewish community concerning the Israel-Hamas war, antisemitism, and
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  Speaker 1: Jewish identity since October 7, 2023. Highlighting diverse student and
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  Speaker 1: alumni perspectives amidst campus activism. In politics and media, New
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  Speaker 1: York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani's plan to address antisemitism is
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  Speaker 1: drawing criticism. JNS reports that mainstream Jewish groups argue the
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  Speaker 1: 33-page plan deliberately omits the role of anti-Zionism, which they
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  Speaker 1: consider crucial in fueling hatred. Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of the
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  Speaker 1: Park Avenue Synagogue likened the omission to writing a report
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  Speaker 1: on lung cancer without mentioning smoking. Wall Street Journal editor-at-large
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  Speaker 1: Gerard Baker also criticized the plan for a lack of
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  Speaker 1: focus on anti-Zionism. In France, Jordan Bardella, president of the
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  Speaker 1: far-right National Rally Party, faces renewed pressure over alleged antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: messages sent in 2013. Inkle.com reports that investigative website Mediapart
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  Speaker 1: published technical evidence reportedly authenticated by Meta and a court bailiff,
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  Speaker 1: that they claim substantiates private Facebook conversations from that period.
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  Speaker 1: Bardella denies the messages, calling them fabrications. French Justice Minister
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  Speaker 1: Gérald Darmanin has accused Bardella of lying. Portland City Council
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  Speaker 1: also saw contentious debate, as reported by the Portland Mercury,
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  Speaker 1: where Councillor Eric Zimmerman accused proponents of a human rights
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  Speaker 1: investment screen of antisemitism. an accusation countered by Jewish residents
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  Speaker 1: and advocates as weaponized antisemitism. Online platforms continue to be
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  Speaker 1: fertile ground for antisemitic conspiracy theories. alisraelnews.com reports that within
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  Speaker 1: 12 hours of the attempted FlyJubai attack, the social media
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  Speaker 1: platform X saw nearly 3,000 posts blaming Israel for orchestrating
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  Speaker 1: a false flag operation. According to the combat antisemitism movement,
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  Speaker 1: The first post emerged just 67 minutes after the plane
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  Speaker 1: sent its emergency distress signal. These posts generated tens of
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  Speaker 1: thousands of likes and millions of views, with an 81%
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  Speaker 1: majority of false flag posts on X containing anti-Semitic conspiracy
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  Speaker 1: theories in the final two hours of monitoring. The report
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  Speaker 1: notes this pattern mirrors influence operations used to destabilize Western societies,
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  Speaker 1: portraying Israel and Jews as a hidden hand. In terms
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  Speaker 1: of institutional and policy responses, a significant legal action is
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  Speaker 1: underway in Ontario, Canada. The Globe and Mail reports that
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  Speaker 1: 11 Jewish teachers and one retired Jewish teacher have filed
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  Speaker 1: applications with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal against four school
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  Speaker 1: boards and three teachers' unions. They allege discrimination and a
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  Speaker 1: failure to act on numerous antisemitic incidents, including swastikas drawn
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  Speaker 1: in classrooms and a student playing a game about Hitler.
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  Speaker 1: The teachers are seeking accountability and institutional change. In the U.S.,
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  Speaker 1: similar allegations of employment discrimination are surfacing. alisraelnews.com details the
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  Speaker 1: case of an Ohio orthopedic surgeon fired shortly after October 7,
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  Speaker 1: allegedly due to his religion and race, prompting an EEOC lawsuit.
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  Speaker 1: Another case involves a Jewish psychology professor at Duke Wesleyan
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  Speaker 1: University who faced harassment and retaliation after opposing anti-Jewish discrimination
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  Speaker 1: within his department, with university administrators reportedly dismissing his concerns.
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  Speaker 1: We also examine rhetoric related to Israel. JPost.com reports that
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  Speaker 1: the Netherlands' new ban on goods from Israeli settlements is
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  Speaker 1: seen by Jigel Markosower, president of the Jewish communities in
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  Speaker 1: the Netherlands, as fueling antisemitism and hostility toward Dutch Jews.
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  Speaker 1: He warns of growing hostility. citing diplomatic deterioration and boycotts
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  Speaker 1: of Israeli academic institutions. Meanwhile, Ground News notes Israel's strategic
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  Speaker 1: alignment with European far-right parties to improve its image amidst
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  Speaker 1: global isolation over the Gaza war. This includes instances where
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  Speaker 1: Israeli officials, such as the Minister for Combating Antisemitism, have
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  Speaker 1: defended figures like Jordan Bardella, president of France's National Rally Party,
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  Speaker 1: following allegations of antisemitic remarks. In a specific case outcome,
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  Speaker 1: a Staten Island man accused of an anti-Semitic hate crime
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  Speaker 1: rampage has been deemed mentally unfit for trial, according to Siliv.com.
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  Speaker 1: This development marks a significant point in the legal proceedings
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  Speaker 1: against him. Finally, a demonstration of community solidarity. RiverdalePress.com reports
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  Speaker 1: that Riverdale residents joined hundreds of people near the United
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  Speaker 1: Nations headquarters on September 23rd. for a rally calling on
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  Speaker 1: world leaders to stop rising antisemitism. Organized by major Jewish organizations,
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  Speaker 1: including the UJA Federation of New York and the ADL,
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  Speaker 1: the rally featured speakers and signs urging action. Attendees emphasized
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  Speaker 1: the need to show outrage and that people aren't going
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  Speaker 1: to let this happen without a fight. As one resident
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  Speaker 1: put it, pushing back against the conflation of Israeli government
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  Speaker 1: actions with Judaism. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app
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  Speaker 1: so you don't miss the next update. This report was
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify
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  Speaker 1: important details with primary sources.