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Antisemitism Watch - September 1, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. This week,
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  Speaker 1: we examine critical developments in the fight against antisemitism, beginning
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  Speaker 1: with Vice President J.D. Vance's recent remarks at a Republican-Jewish
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  Speaker 1: coalition summit. The Washington Post reported that Vance declined to
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  Speaker 1: condemn Tucker Carlson's history of promoting antisemitism, instead focusing his
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  Speaker 1: criticism on podcaster Nick Fuentes, whom Vance stated, really does
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  Speaker 1: hate Jews. The reporting notes Carlson's long history of platforming
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  Speaker 1: figures with bigoted talking points and conspiracy theories and his
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  Speaker 1: role in Vance's political ascent. In cultural institutions, the Metropolitan
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  Speaker 1: Museum of Art has cancelled its planned exhibition honouring fashion
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  Speaker 1: designer John Galliano. The Associated Press reports this decision followed
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  Speaker 1: significant backlash from the Jewish community and others over Galliano's
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  Speaker 1: past anti-Semitic and racist statements, including remarks from 2010 and 2011.
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  Speaker 1: New York City Council Speaker Julie Menon, who is the
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  Speaker 1: daughter of a Holocaust survivor, had strongly opposed the exhibit,
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  Speaker 1: calling it a gut punch at a time of rising antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: In a joint statement, the museum and Galliano announced they
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  Speaker 1: mutually decided not to proceed, with Galliano expressing regret for
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  Speaker 1: the pain caused. In California, Months of intensive negotiations have
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  Speaker 1: failed to yield an agreement on a bill aimed at
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  Speaker 1: clarifying language in a state law designed to combat antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: in schools. The Piedmont Exedra reports that opponents, including teachers
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  Speaker 1: and school boards, expressed concerns that vague language in Assembly
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  Speaker 1: Bill 715 could chill open discussion of controversial topics, such
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  Speaker 1: as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and lead to misinterpretations of criticism
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  Speaker 1: of Zionism as anti-Semitism. Author's Assembly members Rick Z. Burr
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  Speaker 1: and Don Addis maintain these concerns lack merit, while California
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  Speaker 1: Teachers Association President David Goldberg criticized the authors for failing
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  Speaker 1: to compromise. The California Legislative Jewish Caucus had championed AB
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  Speaker 1: 715 following a documented rise in anti-Semitic incidents in schools. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: California is poised to become the first state to recognize
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  Speaker 1: Jewish as an ethnic and racial identity for demographic data collection.
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  Speaker 1: Reporting indicates lawmakers gave final approval to Senate Bill 1387,
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  Speaker 1: which would expand the definition of ethnicity on state agency
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  Speaker 1: forms to include Jewish identity, taking effect in 2030. This
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  Speaker 1: legislation was a priority for many California Jewish organizations. Governor
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  Speaker 1: Newsom has until September 30 to sign the bill into law.
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  Speaker 1: Also advancing are AB 1853, which bars threatening false information
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  Speaker 1: from voter guides, and AB 2664, the Safe Worship Zone Act,
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  Speaker 1: both supported by the Jewish California Coalition. In the realm
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  Speaker 1: of entertainment and academia, over 180 Jewish entertainers and artists
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  Speaker 1: have signed a letter supporting actor Mark Ruffalo, defending his
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  Speaker 1: statements made in opposition to the Warner Bros. Discovery Paramount merger.
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  Speaker 1: Variety reports the letter argues Ruffalo's critique of Oracle's technology
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  Speaker 1: used in Israel and its connection to oppression is not antisemitic,
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  Speaker 1: asserting that understanding the interconnectedness of events in Gaza and
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  Speaker 1: issues at home is the very essence of Jewish ethical duty. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: Amy Jill Levine, an Orthodox Jewish scholar, faced vicious backlash
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  Speaker 1: and antisemitic comments after her election as president of the
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  Speaker 1: Catholic Biblical Association. The Forward reports that emails targeted her
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  Speaker 1: with terms like Zionist and attacked her faith, though the
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  Speaker 1: association's leadership defended her scholarship and noted the vitriol highlights
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  Speaker 1: the ongoing problem of antisemitism. In North Miami Beach, surveillance
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  Speaker 1: video has been released in connection with an alleged antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: incident at a Starbucks located inside a Target store. Reporting
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  Speaker 1: on this incident remains preliminary. Finally, author Dara Horn's new book,
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  Speaker 1: The Final Solution to the Jewish Question, A Love Story
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  Speaker 1: for the Living, offers a survey of antisemitism past and present.
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  Speaker 1: In sharing her experiences, Horn recounts being called a kike
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  Speaker 1: and a fucking Jew in a personal anecdote, illustrating the
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic rhetoric she addresses in her work. Separately, reporting from
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  Speaker 1: Europe highlights that Holocaust deniers and extremists face prosecution in
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  Speaker 1: several countries under existing laws for publicly denying or trivializing
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  Speaker 1: the genocide. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to
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  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated with AI assistance and
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  Speaker 1: may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.