Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 18, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 18, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
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  Speaker 1: with a terror attack on a Michigan synagogue. The FBI
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  Speaker 1: designated a march incident where a truck packed with explosives
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  Speaker 1: was rammed into Temple Israel as a targeted act of
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: violence against the Jewish community. The perpetrator, who died from
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was reportedly inspired by Hezbollah. The
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  Speaker 1: attack caused significant damage, and the congregation is now undertaking
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  Speaker 1: extensive rebuilding and security upgrades. In Germany, an alleged arson
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: attack targeted the Burjish synagogue in Wuppertal. Authorities arrested a
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: 37-year-old Afghan national on suspicion of pouring flammable liquid on
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: the synagogue's entrance and setting it ablaze. No one was
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: injured and damage was minor. The incident occurred just three
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  Speaker 1: days before Yom Kippur. Joseph Schuster, president of the Central
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  Speaker 1: Council of Jews in Germany, called it an arson attack,
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  Speaker 1: and warned of the progressive normalization of hatred of Jews.
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  Speaker 1: German police recorded 6,548 antisemitic offenses in 2025, a figure
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  Speaker 1: that has been increasing annually. In the United States, federal
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  Speaker 1: authorities arrested a North Carolina man accused of mailing explicit
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic threats to Jewish leaders and organizations, including a Holocaust memorial.
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  Speaker 1: According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, The
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  Speaker 1: letters contain statements like, I am going to destroy many
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  Speaker 1: Jews and many shall die by my wrath. The FBI
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  Speaker 1: identified the suspect through a fingerprint on one of the letters,
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  Speaker 1: and he has a prior conviction for mailing threatening communications.
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  Speaker 1: Vlad Kaikin of the Simon Wiesenthal Center described the threats
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  Speaker 1: as chilling, intended to terrorize Jewish Americans. FBI data shows
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  Speaker 1: that in 2024, Jews were targeted in 69% of reported
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  Speaker 1: religiously motivated hate crimes. In New York City, hundreds of
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  Speaker 1: Jewish community leaders and residents protested outside the home of
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Zoran Mamdani. Organizers cited a summer spike in anti-Semitic incidents,
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  Speaker 1: including a stabbing near a synagogue and an assault during services,
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  Speaker 1: and expressed support for Israel. This protest comes after Mamdani
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  Speaker 1: had previously called for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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  Speaker 1: Sweden's recent general election saw antisemitism feature prominently in political discourse.
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  Speaker 1: The Center Party removed dozens of candidates from electoral lists
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  Speaker 1: for circulating antisemitic conspiracy theories and promoting homophobia. Aron Verstandig,
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  Speaker 1: chair of the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, expressed
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  Speaker 1: concern that Jews were becoming a tool of political debate. Meanwhile,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: the leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats drew criticism from
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  Speaker 1: the Jewish Youth Association for using their book in rhetoric
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  Speaker 1: against Islam. Conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg expressed optimism after
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  Speaker 1: meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance, following Rosenberg's prior criticism
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  Speaker 1: of Vance's stances on Israel and his association with Tucker Carlson.
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  Speaker 1: Vance is reportedly making outreach efforts to the Jewish community,
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  Speaker 1: including planning a Shabbat dinner. Rosenberg stated he does not
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  Speaker 1: believe Vance hates Israel or Jewish people, and noted Vance's
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  Speaker 1: comments on President Trump's willingness to oppose Prime Minister Netanyahu.
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  Speaker 1: At UCLA, Chancellor Julio Frank's statement distancing the university from
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  Speaker 1: a 9-11 law school symposium has sparked an intense outcry
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  Speaker 1: among faculty. The symposium included a lawyer for college Sheikh
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  Speaker 1: Mohammed and described Israel's war in Gaza as genocide, a
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  Speaker 1: characterization opposed by major American Jewish leaders. Dozens of law
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  Speaker 1: professors and hundreds of academics nationwide have demanded the Chancellor
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  Speaker 1: retract his statement, arguing it infringes on academic freedom. Chancellor
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  Speaker 1: Frank defended his remarks, stating they expressed university values and
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  Speaker 1: support for victims of terrorism. In Canada, Deborah Leon, the
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  Speaker 1: country's former Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: has publicly criticized the newly formed Advisory Council. tasked with
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  Speaker 1: replacing her office. Leon, who resigned citing despair over inaction,
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  Speaker 1: stated the council must deliver soon before Hanukkah, emphasising that
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  Speaker 1: significant preparatory work had already been done. Reporting on a
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  Speaker 1: legal case highlights the financial backing and judicial findings involving
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  Speaker 1: conservative writer Nina Power. Reform UK donor Ben DeLow provided
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  Speaker 1: a £ 350, 000 loan to Power for a libel case, she
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  Speaker 1: brought against an artist who had accused her of antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: While the judge found Power and her friend's social media
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  Speaker 1: posts had the whiff of threat and antisemitism, she ruled
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  Speaker 1: the conduct did not meet the legal threshold for unlawful
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  Speaker 1: hate speech. Earlier reporting indicated that Power and her friend
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  Speaker 1: had privately exchanged pro-Hitler messages and discussed antisemitic conspiracy theories.
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  Speaker 1: Nina Power has since been declared bankrupt. On a more
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  Speaker 1: positive note, Fairfield University recently dedicated a bronze Holocaust memorial
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  Speaker 1: sculpture titled She Wouldn't Take Off Her Boots. The artwork
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  Speaker 1: honors five Jewish women who resisted the Holocaust. Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt,
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  Speaker 1: former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, spoke
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  Speaker 1: at the dedication, discussing antisemitism as a threat to democracy.
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  Speaker 1: And in New York City, Hundreds of Jewish students and
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: community members gathered outside Mayor Zoran Mamdani's residence for a
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  Speaker 1: prayer service. Organizers described the gathering as an expression of faith, unity,
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  Speaker 1: and Jewish pride, following a series of antisemitic attacks in
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  Speaker 1: the city over the summer. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. This
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.