Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 19, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

Transcript

Antisemitism Watch - September 19, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: tracking an arson attack on a German synagogue just before
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Yom Kippur, campus controversies, and escalating political rhetoric with real-world consequences.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: An arson attack targeting the Burgish synagogue in Wuppertal, Germany,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: occurred Thursday afternoon, just three days before Yom Kippur. According
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: to the German press agency, prosecutors reported the 37-year-old suspect
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: made antisemitic remarks at the scene. The suspect allegedly hurled
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: two bags containing flammable liquid at the synagogue, poured a
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: third near a side entrance and set the liquid ablaze.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Synagogue staff extinguished the flames quickly and no injuries were reported.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: The mayor of Wuppertal condemned the attack as utterly despicable
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: and called for solidarity with the Jewish community. Several Jewish
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: organizations also condemned the act. The European Jewish Congress stated
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: that attacks timed around Jewish holidays are part of a
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: pattern intended to spread fear, adding that Jews must be
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: able to practice their faith safely. The Berlin office of
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: the American Jewish Committee called for security measures to be
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: urgently strengthened. U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism,
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: Rabbi Yehuda Kaplan noted the attack as an attempt to
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: strike fear, but asserted it would not succeed. Rabbi Yehuda
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Teichtel of Berlin's Chabad community called for standing against hatred.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: The synagogue was previously targeted in 2014. On campus, streamer
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: Hassan Piker is scheduled to speak at Cornell University on
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: September 24th, organized by student groups including Students Not Bombs Campaign,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Justice for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Cornell's Young
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Democratic Socialist Association. This event takes place as experts warn
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: the university is a hotbed of antisemitism. Cornellians for Israel
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: sophomore Sophia Eliassi told the Post that inviting Piker is
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: an invitation for students to emulate his behavior. The campus
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: Hillel chapter stated Piker's views go against their values and
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: called his rhetoric repulsive. A petition by Safe Campus urged
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: officials to call off the event. Piker has a history
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: of controversial remarks, including justifying the October 7th Hamas attacks,
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: calling Jews inbred, and expressing anti-American sentiments. Some students, however,
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: believe preventing his appearance is not the answer. advocating for debate. Dr.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: Carol Lieberman, a psychiatrist, warned that Piker's invitation reflects the
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: university's tolerance for antisemitism. Meanwhile, UCLA Chancellor Julio Frank has
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: drawn criticism from dozens of UCLA law faculty and hundreds
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: more nationwide for a statement denouncing perceived hateful ideologies. Antisemitism
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: and Terrorism at a Law School Symposium. The symposium— held
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: on the 25th anniversary of 9-11, featured speakers including the
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: lawyer for college sheikh Mohammed and the director of CAIR's
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Lowe's Angels chapter. Judea Pearl, father of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: denounced the event, accusing UCLA Law of weaponizing the painful
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: days of 9-11 and 10-7 to promote hateful ideologies. The
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: UCLA Law faculty letter argued Frank's rebuke violated academic freedom
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: and exposed speakers to harassment. A national law professor's letter
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: emphasized that media interpretations of Frank's statement as a censure
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: compounded risks for scholars. Chancellor Frank responded that his statement
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: was carefully worded and did not criticize the school or
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: legal representation, reaffirming his commitment to academic freedom. In New
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: York City, Mayor Zoran Mamdani faces scrutiny ahead of Israeli
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit the United Nations General Assembly.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: Mamdani had previously pledged to have Netanyahu arrested if he
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: entered the city, though his administration later acknowledged a lack
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: of independent legal authority to enforce an ICC warrant. Israel's
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has criticized Mamdani's stance,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: accusing him of inciting and promoting anti-Semitism. Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: stated that Jewish New Yorkers feel they must think twice
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: before walking in the streets with a kippah or a
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: chai necklace, due to Mamdani's rhetoric, which he said demonized
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: supporters of Israel. Actor Michael Rapoport criticized Mamdani for questioning
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Israel's right to exist. This situation unfolds as Mamdani's administration
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: emphasizes its pothole politics focus. Separately, a protest involving Christian
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: nationalist Jake Lange against Mayor Mamdani on 9-11 revealed internal
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: conflicts on the far right. Lange, who has Jewish heritage
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: but renounced Judaism, has embraced extreme Christian nationalism and made
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, including claims about a Jewish mafia controlling Hollywood. Counter-protesters,
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: identified as neo-Nazis, targeted Lange, calling him a siap and
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: chanting slogans like, Heil Hitler, free Palestine. This incident, documented
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: by Myra Foxe, highlights how groups on the far right
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: are fracturing over their antisemitic ideologies and targets, with the
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: neo-Nazis prioritizing white supremacy over Lange's more diffuse antisemitism. Also
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: in the realm of politics and media, rapper Macklemore was
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: removed from Ed Sheeran's tour after making pro-Palestinian statements on
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: stage and releasing his song, Heinz Hall, in May 2024.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: The Israeli-American Council and Stop Antisemitism called for his removal.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: and billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft banned him from performing
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: at Gillette Stadium, citing hate speech and anti-Semitic rhetoric. McLemore
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: had accused Israel of genocide and apartheid and dismissed accusations
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: of anti-Semitism against Israel critics, stating, according to reporting by JTA,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: that it's anti-Semitic to be anti-Zionist. He also made controversial
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: remarks in Germany in June, stating that the only way
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: to atone for the Holocaust... is by standing against apartheid
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: and genocide. This follows a 2014 incident where McLemore apologized
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: for an onstage costume that drew accusations of antisemitism. Finally,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: a poll by the Melman Group for the Jewish Electorate
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: Institute found that 56% of American Jews believe Prime Minister
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: Netanyahu's actions have increased antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment in the
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: United States. In France, presidential candidate Eric Zemer stated that
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Jews there rarely wear kippahs in public due to the
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: danger of antisemitic attacks, highlighting the growing threat. I'm Rachel Adler.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: in your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources. Thank you.