Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 27, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 27, 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 disturbing incident in France, where authorities arrested an
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  Speaker 1: Irish man in his 60s following an alleged antisemitic confrontation
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  Speaker 1: with an Australian-Jewish couple at a supermarket in Avignon. According
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  Speaker 1: to AFP, the man reportedly told the couple, I'm sorry
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  Speaker 1: Hitler had not finished the job. While this specific remark
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  Speaker 1: was not captured on video … Footage posted online by
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  Speaker 1: Karen Ivers does show the man issuing a death threat
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  Speaker 1: to Rachel Mizell, saying, get thee away from me before
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  Speaker 1: I put a bullet in your head. The video of
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  Speaker 1: the threat went viral, garnering approximately one million views and
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  Speaker 1: prompting a criminal investigation. French authorities have apprehended the suspect,
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  Speaker 1: and investigative units are examining the alleged antisemitic remarks and
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  Speaker 1: the recorded threat. In institutional and policy responses, a landmark
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  Speaker 1: ruling from the NSW Supreme Court in Australia has clarified
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  Speaker 1: that criticism of Israel or its policies should not be
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  Speaker 1: conflated with antisemitism. Justice Desmond Fagan, in a decision published
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  Speaker 1: August 17, 2026, rejected the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working
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  Speaker 1: definition of antisemitism, describing it as verbose and imprecise, and
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  Speaker 1: stating that crude expressions of political hostility toward the state
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  Speaker 1: of Israel do not inherently carry an antisemitic streak. Fagan
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  Speaker 1: found that slogans like, fuck Israel, could be understood as
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  Speaker 1: expressions of political hostility toward the state of Israel, rather
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  Speaker 1: than hatred of Jews. In contrast, the Dominican Republic has
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  Speaker 1: become the 48th country worldwide and the 7th in Latin
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  Speaker 1: America to adopt the IHRA's working definition of antisemitism. Following
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  Speaker 1: an order from President Luis Abinader, who stated that antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: is a threat to democratic coexistence for all. On campuses
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  Speaker 1: and in higher education, alarming reports highlight widespread issues. An
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  Speaker 1: ADL study surveying 307 Jewish members of U.S. teachers' unions
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  Speaker 1: found significant hostility and exclusion. More than 70% of respondents
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  Speaker 1: found union statements on the Israel-Hamas war problematic for failing
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  Speaker 1: to condemn Hamas or the October 7th atrocities. and a
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  Speaker 1: similar percentage agreed that resolutions accusing Israel of apartheid or
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  Speaker 1: genocide are a problem. Jewish educators reported inconsistent enforcement of
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  Speaker 1: anti-harassment norms, minimization of the October 7th attacks, and hearing, Zionist,
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  Speaker 1: used as a slur, with nearly three-quarters feeling the need
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  Speaker 1: to self-censor due to fear of backlash. Meanwhile, a report
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  Speaker 1: on Canadian campuses, the Campus Antisemitism and Student Experiences or
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  Speaker 1: CASE report, found that 96% of 900 surveyed Jewish post-secondary
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  Speaker 1: students experienced or witnessed at least one anti-Semitic incident in
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  Speaker 1: the past year. Students reported hostility, intimidation, and exclusion, sometimes
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  Speaker 1: initiated by professors, including being called derogatory names and being
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  Speaker 1: removed from academic projects. In politics and media, scrutiny continues
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  Speaker 1: over rhetoric and associations. New York State Senator Peter Obracker
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  Speaker 1: faces renewed attention for a deleted 2015 Facebook post honoring
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  Speaker 1: his grandfather, who served in Nazi Germany's military. The post
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  Speaker 1: featured a photo of his grandfather in uniform with swastika insignia, captioned,
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  Speaker 1: My grandfather Ludwig Obracker who gave his life for his country,
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  Speaker 1: I salute all who served. Obracker told Politico he viewed
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  Speaker 1: the post differently now amid rising anti-Semitism concerns. and stated
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  Speaker 1: he condemns antisemitism in all forms. Separately, prominent Democrats have
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  Speaker 1: condemned far-left streamer, Hassan Piker, after he warned that American
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  Speaker 1: Jews could face violence if they continue to be seen
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  Speaker 1: as strongly supporting Israel. House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, called
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  Speaker 1: Piker's remarks, dangerous and antisemitic, a sentiment echoed by other lawmakers.
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  Speaker 1: In Germany, an American Jewish committee report by Professor Lars Rentsman,
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  Speaker 1: claims that antisemitic ideas, conspiracy narratives, and historical revisionism are
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  Speaker 1: deeply embedded within the alternative for Germany, AFD party, using
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  Speaker 1: coded language and echoing classic antisemitic conspiracy theories. This follows
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  Speaker 1: a report that a former staffer for U.S. Congressman Mike
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  Speaker 1: Collins shared images of a swastika and himself in KKK robes. Additionally,
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  Speaker 1: a pro-Israel influence operation has reportedly generated over 560,000 words
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  Speaker 1: in nine days, through a non-existent think tank, the Hanover
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  Speaker 1: Institute for Public Policy, aiming to influence AI chatbot responses
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  Speaker 1: on Israel-related issues, funded by millions from Israel. The U.S.
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  Speaker 1: State Department has directed diplomatic missions worldwide to urge host
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  Speaker 1: governments to significantly increase security measures around synagogues and Jewish
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  Speaker 1: communities ahead of the high holidays. This directive cites persistently
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  Speaker 1: high levels of antisemitic attacks and calls for law enforcement,
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  Speaker 1: counterterrorism units, or military personnel to be deployed. The protection
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  Speaker 1: extends to Jewish community residential areas and routes used by worshippers,
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  Speaker 1: with provisions for immediate threat alerts even on Shabbat. In
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  Speaker 1: discourse surrounding anti-Zionism and Israel, a letter published in the
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  Speaker 1: Portland Press-Herald refutes claims of Israeli genocide in Gaza, characterizing
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  Speaker 1: such accusations as propaganda that succumbs to anti-Israel bias. The
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  Speaker 1: letter emphasizes Israel's role as a loyal U.S. ally and
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  Speaker 1: argues for the refutation of the genocide libel. While a
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  Speaker 1: single report touches on the importance of Holocaust survivor testimony
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  Speaker 1: in understanding the dangers of antisemitism today, it provides no
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  Speaker 1: specific incident details and is too thin for further reporting
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  Speaker 1: in this segment. Finally, we close with a positive note.
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  Speaker 1: Donations are being presented as crucial for making a difference
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  Speaker 1: for Chicagoans in need, and for actively fighting rampant antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: This underscores the vital role of communal support and advocacy.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.
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  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.