Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 19, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 19, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism, watch I'm Rachel Adler. Despite a
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  Speaker 1: nationwide decline in crime, twenty twenty five marked the third
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  Speaker 1: highest year on record for anti Jewish hate crimes, according
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  Speaker 1: to an FBI report reviewed for this episode. The Anti
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  Speaker 1: Defamation League notes that these numbers represent a stark increase
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  Speaker 1: since October seventh, twenty twenty three, and that twenty twenty
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  Speaker 1: five was the deadliest year for antisemitic attacks in the
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  Speaker 1: Jewish diaspora in over three decades, with twenty people murdered
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  Speaker 1: globally simply for being Jewish. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt warned
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  Speaker 1: that a slight decline in numbers should not distract from
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  Speaker 1: combating antisemitic hate, emphasizing that behind every one of these
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  Speaker 1: numbers is a person who was targeted simply for being Jewish.
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  Speaker 1: In New York City, a violent disruption at Manhattan's Central
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  Speaker 1: Synagogue last Friday led to federal hate crimes charges against
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  Speaker 1: Larry Montes. According to federal prosecutors and court filings, Monty's
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  Speaker 1: allegedly shouted antisemitic slurs, damaged religious property, assaulted a sixty
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  Speaker 1: three year old congregant, and head budded a security guard.
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  Speaker 1: During a recorded post arrest interview, Montes allegedly admitted his
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  Speaker 1: actions were all a racial thing and all religious motivated,
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  Speaker 1: making explicitly antisemitic remarks, as reported by Fox News and
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  Speaker 1: other outlets. Assistant Attorney General Harmeat kay Dillon stated these
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  Speaker 1: charges serve as notice that the Department of Justice will
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  Speaker 1: intervene to protect the public in the face of antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: and racially motivated attacks. The incident has spurred community responses,
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  Speaker 1: including a rally outside the synagogue, with advocates calling for
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  Speaker 1: greater vigilance, as reported by CBS New York and WABC NYPD.
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  Speaker 1: Data cited by CBS New York indicates a troubling rise
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  Speaker 1: in citywide anti Jewish hate crimes, up eight point five
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  Speaker 1: percent to date and accounting for more than fifty six
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  Speaker 1: percent of all hate crimes citywide, despite Jewish New Yorkers
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  Speaker 1: comprising only ten percent of the population. Internationally. Reports indicate
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  Speaker 1: a mob surrounded seven French Jewish tourists after they left
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  Speaker 1: a synagogue in the Port area, with an assailant hurling
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  Speaker 1: motor oil, highlighting ongoing antisemitism. Turning to campus issues, a
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  Speaker 1: former Justice Department attorney Hailey Vanirem alleges that the Trump
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  Speaker 1: administration's investigations into antisemitism at Harvard, Brown, and Columbia universities
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  Speaker 1: were politically motivated and violated federal law. Vanirem claims in
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  Speaker 1: disclosures provided to Congress, as reported by JTA, that the
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  Speaker 1: outcomes of the investigations were predetermined without regard to the evidence.
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  Speaker 1: She stated she left the DOJ in May twenty twenty five,
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  Speaker 1: unwilling to be made vulnerable to further participation in politically
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  Speaker 1: motivated investigations unsupported by facts and contrary to law. A
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  Speaker 1: do o J spokesperson, however, told JTA that miss van
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  Speaker 1: Erem did not work on university investigations and the department
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  Speaker 1: stands behind the integrity of these investigations. More broadly, a
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  Speaker 1: new study published in the Rambammimonodes Medical Journal documents a
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  Speaker 1: tsunami of hate and antisemitic incidents across hospitals, dental schools,
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  Speaker 1: and psychology conferences since October seven. The study found instances
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  Speaker 1: such as Jews being labeled as oppressers at UCLA, patients
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  Speaker 1: fearing identification as Jews at UCSF, and protesters targeting medical schools.
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  Speaker 1: Co author hedy Walde noted that you had medical students
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  Speaker 1: and health professionals posting horrific things on social media, very antisemitic,
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  Speaker 1: very anti Israel biased, appearing in medical journals. The researchers
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  Speaker 1: call for medical schools to teach about antisemitism, stating advocacy
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  Speaker 1: against hate is a core component of medical professionalism. In
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  Speaker 1: New York City d public schools, a teacher's organization has
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  Speaker 1: tracked more than two hundred and fifty antisemitic incidents since
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  Speaker 1: October seven, according to Fox News. Reporting in the political arena,
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  Speaker 1: Dan Balzerian's loss in a Florida Republican congressional primary is
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  Speaker 1: overshadowed by the approximately eleven thousand votes he received. Vin
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  Speaker 1: News reported that Bilzerian ran a campaign steeped in antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: rhetoric and repeatedly invoked Adolph Hitler, leading to condemnations as
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  Speaker 1: a neo Nazi and antisemite. The report questions how a
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  Speaker 1: candidate embracing such rhetoric can attract thousands of votes, stating
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  Speaker 1: the fact that thousands of Americans were willing to vote
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  Speaker 1: for him is the part that should keep us awake. Overseas,
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  Speaker 1: a leaked chat from the UK Green Party reportedly revealed
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  Speaker 1: discussions about killing Zionists, leading to significant internal controversy, according
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  Speaker 1: to reporting reviewed for this episode. In New York, a
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Federation head has accused Mayor Zorin Mamdani of inciting
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  Speaker 1: violence against Jews following a rally held outside Central Synagogue,
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  Speaker 1: as reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Additionally, Brooklyn Democrats
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  Speaker 1: have called for a district leader's resignation following allegations of
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic conduct, with the leader reportedly deleting related content. On
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  Speaker 1: the institutional response front, the Pentagon has mandated that thirty
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  Speaker 1: universities conduct comprehensive audits of their foreign academic and research
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  Speaker 1: ties to avoid losing federal funding. The Department of Wars
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  Speaker 1: directive requires institutions to maintain eligibility for future federal research
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  Speaker 1: funding by completing these audits and implementing mitigation plans by
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  Speaker 1: August thirty first. According to The Center Square, Emil Michael,
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  Speaker 1: under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, stated institutions
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  Speaker 1: that receive funding from American taxpayers must uphold the highest
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  Speaker 1: standards of research security. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Education
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  Speaker 1: has removed a guide for schools after it contained a
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  Speaker 1: definition of antisemitism based on the Jerusalem Declaration, which differed
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  Speaker 1: from the IHRA working definition and drew criticism from Jewish
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  Speaker 1: advocacy groups like Stop Antisemitism. Stop Antisemitism executive director Leora
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  Speaker 1: Res expressed relief at the removal, but stated Pennsylvania residents
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  Speaker 1: deserved to know who was behind this malicious move. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: reports indicate that Democrats are reportedly targeting the Civil Rights
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  Speaker 1: Act with an aim to create legal jeopardy for those
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  Speaker 1: investigating antisemitism at universities, signaling potential shifts in civil rights
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  Speaker 1: law and policy regarding hate speech. Florida is taking steps
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  Speaker 1: to kerb anti Zionist electoral enthusiasm, with reporting highlighting the
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  Speaker 1: example of Hassen Piker, campaigning for a Democratic candidate in
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  Speaker 1: the state, described in one outlet as an antisemitic hamas
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  Speaker 1: admiring lunatic. Finally, in a significant legal outcome, an Argentinian
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  Speaker 1: judicial body has removed a federal judge from office over
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  Speaker 1: a series of antisemitic messages and hostile posts, marking the
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  Speaker 1: first time in the country's history a judge was stripped
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  Speaker 1: of office for anti Jewish hate speech. The Council of
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  Speaker 1: the Magistracy reviewed over a dozen social media posts where
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  Speaker 1: the judge displayed systematic hostility toward the Jewish community in Israel,
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  Speaker 1: and concluded that they breached judicial impartiality. According to Jerusalem
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  Speaker 1: News syndicate, this has been antisemitism watch. I'm Rachel Adler.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for joining me. This report was generated with
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  Speaker 1: AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details
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  Speaker 1: with primary sources.