Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 19, 2026, 09 AM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 19, 2026, 09 AM 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: examine the global echoes of past antisemitic conferences, a prominent
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  Speaker 1: artist's controversial lyrics, and local efforts to combat hate. We
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  Speaker 1: begin with a look at the international stage. Later this month,
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  Speaker 1: the UN General Assembly will hold a high-level meeting marking
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  Speaker 1: 25 years since the 2000 and One World Conference Against Racism,
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  Speaker 1: held in Durban, South Africa. Hillel Neuer of UN Watch,
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  Speaker 1: speaking with Honest Reporting, described that original conference not as
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  Speaker 1: a fight against racism, but as a travesty and a
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  Speaker 1: hate fest. According to Neuer, the conference devolved into promoting racism,
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  Speaker 1: equating Zionism with Nazism, distributing the Tsarist forgery, the protocols
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  Speaker 1: of the elders of Zion, and singling out Israel as
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  Speaker 1: an alleged perpetrator of racism. He noted that accusations of
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  Speaker 1: genocide and apartheid against Israel, familiar today, were present then.
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  Speaker 1: Neuer is calling on all countries to withdraw from the
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  Speaker 1: upcoming UN commemoration, pointing out that a growing number have
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  Speaker 1: done so during previous follow-up events. He also stated that
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  Speaker 1: the United Nations itself has been a key driver of
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  Speaker 1: global antisemitism. Citing comments by the UN Secretary General and
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  Speaker 1: other UN officials following the October 7 attacks. Next, we
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  Speaker 1: turn to the music world. where rapper Macklemore is facing
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  Speaker 1: renewed criticism for his pro-Palestinian activism. Critics, including the ADL
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  Speaker 1: and billionaire Robert Kraft, have called his recent actions unacceptable
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  Speaker 1: and pointed to a broader history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery.
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  Speaker 1: These concerns stem from his May 2024 song, Heinz Hall,
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  Speaker 1: and his June 2024 comments in Germany. According to Jewish
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  Speaker 1: reggae singer Matisyahu, Macklemore's song invoked stereotypes about Jewish people
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  Speaker 1: controlling the world. In Heinz Hall, Macklemore praised pro-Palestinian student protesters,
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  Speaker 1: denounced U.S. military support for Israel and the American Israel
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  Speaker 1: Public Affairs Committee, and stated that accusations of anti-Semitism against
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  Speaker 1: Israel critics are lies. Speaking in Germany, Macklemore said the
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  Speaker 1: only way to atone for the past is to stand
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  Speaker 1: against apartheid, against occupation, against genocide for a free Palestine.
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  Speaker 1: the Central Council of Jews in Germany condemned his invitation
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  Speaker 1: to a festival, stating it signals that antisemitism is welcome
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  Speaker 1: on the big stage. Closer to home, in Belmont, Massachusetts,
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic and racist graffiti were discovered in a high school
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  Speaker 1: bathroom just days into the new school year. On September
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  Speaker 1: 4th and again on September 8th, school officials reported instances
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  Speaker 1: of a racial slur and a swastika being found in
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  Speaker 1: bathrooms at Belmont High School. Superintendent Jill Geiser called the
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  Speaker 1: reports deeply disturbing and unacceptable, stating such symbols have no
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  Speaker 1: place in our schools. Principal Isaac Taylor noted that staff
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  Speaker 1: would investigate with local police. For many students, however, these
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  Speaker 1: incidents underscore an ongoing pattern. Junior Mary Faloranzo told The
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  Speaker 1: Voice that students have heard racist, antisemitic, and homophobic language regularly,
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  Speaker 1: recalling repeated instances of racial slurs, and an anti-Semitic slur
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  Speaker 1: shouted after an assembly last year. Some students feel the
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  Speaker 1: school district's approach to combating discrimination is overly defensive, waiting
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  Speaker 1: for incidents rather than proactively addressing them. Principal Taylor plans
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  Speaker 1: to address the issue directly with students in classrooms on
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  Speaker 1: October 1. Turning to institutional and policy responses, in Ventura, California,
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Jeanette Sánchez-Palacios is working to adopt the International Holocaust
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  Speaker 1: Remembrance Alliances, working definition of antisemitism. This effort follows recent
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic vandalism at Temple Beit Torah, where a swastika and
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  Speaker 1: hateful slogans were found. Mayor Sanchez Palacios stated the city
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  Speaker 1: will not be defined by hate. Adding that politics, where
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  Speaker 1: we're at today, has sort of opened the door and
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  Speaker 1: allowed some of this behavior, suggesting rhetoric at higher levels
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  Speaker 1: of government contributes to the problem. The Anti-Defamation League organized
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  Speaker 1: a press conference at the vandalized synagogue. Meanwhile, At Emory University,
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  Speaker 1: Deborah Lipstadt is launching a new institute aimed at training
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  Speaker 1: the next generation of policymakers in combating antisemitism, a strategic
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  Speaker 1: educational initiative to address the issue. In legal news, a
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  Speaker 1: main man has been sentenced for making online threats targeting
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  Speaker 1: Jewish people and other groups. Thaddeus Wind, 52, received three
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  Speaker 1: years of supervised release after serving 17 months in prison.
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  Speaker 1: He was convicted on charges of transmitting interstate threatening communications
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  Speaker 1: and threatening the U.S. vice president. Evidence presented at trial
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  Speaker 1: showed Wind posted threats on X, formerly Twitter, directed at
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  Speaker 1: Jewish people, Vice President Kamala Harris, law enforcement, and Elon Musk.
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  Speaker 1: The U.S. attorney for the District of Maine and the
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  Speaker 1: FBI emphasized that such threats are federal crimes and not
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  Speaker 1: protected speech. A recent poll indicates significant concern within the U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Jewish community regarding the impact of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
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  Speaker 1: According to a poll reviewed for this episode, a majority
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  Speaker 1: of U.S. Jewish voters are concerned that Netanyahu has fueled
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment in the United States. That's our
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  Speaker 1: report for today. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: so you don't miss the next update. This report was
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify
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  Speaker 1: important details with primary sources.