Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 3, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

Transcript

Antisemitism Watch - September 3, 2026, 05 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: tracking dangerous trends from extreme violence to concerning rhetoric and
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: the institutional responses attempting to address them. We begin with
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: recent acts of violence and terror plots. The ADL reports
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: that in Richmond, Virginia, Michael Puckett allegedly shot and killed
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: one Carroll County Sheriff's deputy and wounded another during a
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: welfare check. Puckett, who was later captured in North Carolina,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: has a history involving explosives and weapons, and reportedly has
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: a swastika tattoo and Nazi paraphernalia. Also from the ADL,
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: in San Diego, California, two teenagers, Caleb Vasquez and Kane Clark,
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: carried out a deadly shooting spree targeting the Islamic center
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: of San Diego, resulting in three deaths. Manifestos left by
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: the shooters revealed the influence of extremist ideologies like accelerationist
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: white supremacy and incel culture. with writings stating their goal
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: was to spark a crusade and that Muslims and Jews
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: must be isolated and exterminated. In Texas, authorities arrested Angelina
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: Han Hicks and a male juvenile from Texas on charges
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: related to an alleged plot to attack a Houston synagogue.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: Prosecutors stated Hicks planned to kill as many Jews as
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: possible through a vehicular attack, charging her with conspiracy to
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: commit assault with a deadly weapon and murder. Meanwhile, in Orlando, Florida,
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Paul Miller, known as Gypsy Crusader, a white supremacist fighter,
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: was widely condemned for making a Nazi salute and an
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: anti-Semitic slur after defeating his Jewish opponent Ben Azoulay. The
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: Algeminer reported Miller said of Azoulay, he's not a tough guy,
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: he's not an alpha male, he's a short little F-King
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Jew prick. He then performed the Nazi salute multiple times.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida identified
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Miller as an openly neo-Nazi fighter. with a history of
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: displaying Nazi symbols. Orlando Venues, which operates the arena, stated
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: it condemns all forms of hate speech, discrimination, antisemitism, racism,
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: and any message that encourages hatred or violence. In Newton, Massachusetts,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: police are investigating a hate incident after antisemitic graffiti, including
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: swastikas and a Nazi slogan, was found on playground equipment
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: at an apartment complex. The graffiti was discovered by a
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: 12-year-old girl who recognized the symbols from school lessons. Newton
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: police are tracking 10 such incidents this year, compared to
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: 20 throughout all of last year. On the political front,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: Vice President J.D. Vance acknowledged political disagreements with Tucker Carlson,
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: the former Fox News personality known for spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories. However,
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Vance stated he would not disavow Carlson, saying,' I' m not
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: going to play the game where I throw friends under
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: the bus.' Vance made these remarks after sidestepping questions about
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: Carlson at an event for the Republican-Jewish coalition, later suggesting
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: his refusal to disavow Carlson should serve as a model
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: for interpolitical discourse. The Trump administration is proposing a rule
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: that would strip tax-exempt status from schools providing advantages based
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: on race in admissions, scholarships or financial aid, potentially affecting
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: over 18,000 institutions. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant stated that schools
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: rebranding race-based preferences as equitable, inclusive, or diversity-enhancing does not
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: change their discriminatory nature. The rule is slated to take
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: effect for taxable years beginning after May 31, 2027, following
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: a public comment period. Regarding rhetoric that meets IHRA criteria,
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: an article discusses a defense of actor Mark Ruffalo's comments
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: on the Paramount Warner Bros. discovery deal. The piece argues
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: that the defense, signed by over 170 Jewish artists and intellectuals,
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: inadvertently employs language echoing historical antisemitic tropes, such as wealthy
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: Jews controlling media and public opinion. The author contends that
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: the defense has produced an argument about a Jewish billionaire
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: sitting at the center of an interconnected system of media ownership,
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: political influence, surveillance, and social control. Sounds like conspiratorial antisemitism. Internationally,
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: Spain's Federation of Jewish Communities, or FCJE, recorded 221 antisemitic
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: incidents in 2025, a 14.5% increase from 193 in 2024,
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: warning that hatred is becoming normalized. The Interior Ministry also
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: reported a rise in officially recorded hate crimes. FCJE President
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: David Obadia noted that Jewish children are among the only
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: ones attending school with police presence. and discrimination is a
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: daily reality. A spokesperson for the FCJE attributed the rise
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: partly to campaigns against Israel that also blame all Jews.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: The Movement Against Intolerance stated, Antisemitism is not an opinion
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: or a political disagreement. It is a form of hatred
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: and discrimination against Jews. In response to the hostile climate,
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: France is significantly ramping up security for synagogues and Jewish
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: gatherings ahead of the High Holy Days. urging extreme vigilance.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: The French Interior Ministry's report indicated 1,320 antisemitic incidents in 2025,
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: though down 16% from the previous year. They remain alarmingly high.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: The report also notes that while Jews make up less
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: than 1% of France's population, they accounted for 53% of
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: all religiously motivated crimes last year, and antisemitic acts have
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: roughly tripled since 2022. In the United States, security spending
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: for Jewish communities has reached a record $ 1. 05 billion annually,
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: according to the Jewish Federations of North America, an increase
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: from $ 765 million in 2024. Leaders describe these costs as
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: an additional tax on Jewish life, diverting funds from other
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: communal needs. The FBI reported that Jews were targeted in
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: 63% of all religious hate crimes in 2025, and 2025,
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: was the deadliest year for diaspora Jews in decades, with
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: anti-Jewish attackers killing 20 people. On Capitol Hill, the House
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: of Representatives approved the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: which would penalize colleges and universities receiving federal funds for
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: participating in boycotts of Israel or hindering student exchange programs.
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: The bill passed with bipartisan support, though some Democrats raised
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: concerns about potential First Amendment violations. House Education Committee Chair
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: Tim Walberg stated the bill upholds the principle that institutions
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: should not discriminate against Israel or Israeli students. Finally, regarding
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: campus incidents, the evidence provided states only that the university
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: has responded to claims of antisemitism in several sweeping actions
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: in recent years. Offering no further details. I'm Rachel Adler,
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: in your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.