Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 21, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 21, 2026, 05 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
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  Speaker 1: tracking concerning trends in physical threats and hate crimes, alongside
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  Speaker 1: significant developments in education and politics. Reporting reviewed for this
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  Speaker 1: episode indicates that antisemitic hate crimes in New York City
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  Speaker 1: this year have increased, with a noted connection to instances
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  Speaker 1: where Israel is singled out internationally. In Belleville, Ontario, A
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  Speaker 1: police officer is in critical condition after a shooting outside
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  Speaker 1: the Sons of Jacob Synagogue during Yom Kippur services. Constable
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  Speaker 1: Jeff Smith was injured during an exchange of fire with
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  Speaker 1: suspect Sean Ward, who sustained life-threatening injuries. Approximately 30 shots
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  Speaker 1: were fired, striking the synagogue, nearby homes and vehicles. Belleville
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  Speaker 1: Deputy Police Chief Sherry Meeks condemned the incident, stating, antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: hate and violence have no place in our community. Prime
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  Speaker 1: Minister Mark Carney vowed accountability, while Israel's foreign ministry called
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  Speaker 1: the attack an escalation fuelled by unaddressed incitement. Police have
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  Speaker 1: increased patrols around Jewish places of worship in Belleville and
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  Speaker 1: Toronto following the incident. In a related development, Durham Regional
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  Speaker 1: Police have arrested 19-year-old Alexander Parfit, who is charged with
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  Speaker 1: threats motivated by hate after allegedly posting messages online threatening
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  Speaker 1: a synagogue shooting. Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy expressed her disturbance
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  Speaker 1: and affirmed community solidarity with its Jewish neighbors. In education,
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  Speaker 1: an Alameda County Superior Court judge has ordered the Oakland
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  Speaker 1: Unified School District to comply with state-mandated actions to address antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: The ruling requires mandatory employee training, administrator training on handling
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  Speaker 1: discrimination complaints, and principals to send letters to families condemning antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: This comes after the California Department of Education sued OUSD,
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  Speaker 1: alleging a failure to address pervasive antisemitism on its campuses,
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  Speaker 1: following years of advocacy by groups like the Oakland Jewish Alliance.
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  Speaker 1: In Berlin, Germany, hard-left candidate Elif Eralp faces an antisemitism controversy,
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  Speaker 1: potentially blocking her path to mayor. The issue stems from
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  Speaker 1: Ibrahim Ibrahim, identified as a Hamas supporter, attending her party's
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  Speaker 1: election celebrations. The SPD, a potential coalition partner, stated difficulty
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  Speaker 1: working with a party deemed largely anti-Semitic. Iralp has distanced
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  Speaker 1: herself from Ibrahim, condemned violence, and affirmed her commitment to
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  Speaker 1: protecting Jewish life. Canadian NDP leader Avi Lewis also drew
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  Speaker 1: criticism for a social media post on Yom Kippur. Lewis
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  Speaker 1: wrote that he and fellow Jews failed to do our
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  Speaker 1: part to stop an ongoing genocide committed in our name,
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  Speaker 1: in Gaza. Liberal MPs called the statement naive, irresponsible, and dangerous,
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  Speaker 1: warning it contributes to threats against the Jewish community. The
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  Speaker 1: federal government's definition of antisemitism cautions against holding Jews collectively
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  Speaker 1: accountable for Israel's actions. Lewis later condemned the Belleville synagogue shooting. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: in a case resolution, an agreement has been reached for
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  Speaker 1: 11 defendants involved in a 2025 protest at Stanford University.
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  Speaker 1: the group known as the Stanford 11, will have charges
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  Speaker 1: dismissed if they complete community service and pay $ 52, 000 in
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  Speaker 1: restitution for damages caused during the protest against university investments.
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  Speaker 1: The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office had previously secured indictments,
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  Speaker 1: citing significant damage and traumatized workers, though a subsequent mistrial
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  Speaker 1: and prosecutorial conflict of interest led to the DA being
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  Speaker 1: barred from retrying the case. I'm Rachel Adler, Thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your
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  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. This
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  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.