Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 6, 2026, 11 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 6, 2026, 11 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch I'm Rachel Adler. This week
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  Speaker 1: we report on a surge of physical intimidation targeting Jewish
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  Speaker 1: youth in Europe, escalated rhetoric from political figures, and significant
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  Speaker 1: developments in campus antisemitism monitoring in Bulgaria, Italian Jewish teenagers
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  Speaker 1: attending a summer camp in Sofia were subjected to a
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  Speaker 1: deliberate act of intimidation. Extremists chanting antisemitic and Nazi slogans,
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  Speaker 1: including siegyle, gathered outside their hotel. Camp. Organizers filed a
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  Speaker 1: complaint with Bulgarian police, who have launched an investigation. Italian
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  Speaker 1: Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini
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  Speaker 1: strongly condemned the attack, highlighting a growing climate of hatred
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  Speaker 1: across Europe. This incident, reported by Aljemeiner, underscores the rising
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  Speaker 1: threats faced by Jewish communities on the continent. Closer to home,
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  Speaker 1: a violent antisemitic attack occurred at a Miami Starbucks. An
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  Speaker 1: eighteen year old Jewish teenager wearing a kippa was assaulted
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  Speaker 1: with a cell phone and a metal chair by a
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  Speaker 1: woman who repeatedly shouted I hate them. The perpetrator has
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  Speaker 1: been charged with aggravated battery and assault with prejudice. This incident,
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  Speaker 1: detailed in provided reports, is one of several physical assaults
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  Speaker 1: recorded in California. David William Denton was convicted of arson
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  Speaker 1: and vandalism for setting fire to a mezuza outside Berkeley
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  Speaker 1: hillll during a Shabbat gathering. A jury found him guilty
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  Speaker 1: based on evidence presented by prosecutors. This conviction addresses a
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  Speaker 1: religiously motivated act of vandalism targeting a Jewish institution, as reported. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: two Israelis driving into Jenin were attacked by dozens of
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  Speaker 1: Palestinians who pelted their vehicle with stones, smashing its windows.
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  Speaker 1: The occupants escaped safely. According to reports, these incidents are
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  Speaker 1: occurring against a backdrop of alarming trends in Lowe's Angels.
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  Speaker 1: The District Attorney's office highlighted a significant rise in religious
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  Speaker 1: hate crimes, with figures showing an increase of four hundred
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  Speaker 1: to five hundred per cent against Jews in some cities
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  Speaker 1: since October seventh, twenty twenty three. Nationally, religion based hate
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  Speaker 1: crimes have also seen a substantial rise, comprising nearly twenty
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  Speaker 1: five percent of reported hate crimes so far this year,
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  Speaker 1: according to FBI data mentioned in a cbs LA report.
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  Speaker 1: Turning to campuses, a comprehensive government commissioned report in Canada
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  Speaker 1: found that nearly all Jewish university students surveyed, ninety five
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  Speaker 1: point seven percent reported experiencing or witnessing antisemitism. Alarmingly, seventy
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  Speaker 1: percent stated their universities did not take the issue seriously,
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  Speaker 1: and twenty two percent reported physical violence. This report describes
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  Speaker 1: the situation as systemic, with students detailing harassment, intimidation, and
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  Speaker 1: a lack of institute utional response. Reports from Jewish News
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  Speaker 1: twenty four and The Times of Israel provide these details.
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  Speaker 1: In the United States, the Department of Education's Office for
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  Speaker 1: Civil Rights has opened investigations into San Francisco State University
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  Speaker 1: and San Jose State University. The probe stem from allegations
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  Speaker 1: that these campuses have fostered hostile environments for Jewish students,
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  Speaker 1: including reports of threats, shunning, antisemitic graffiti, and disruptions to
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  Speaker 1: classes linked to pro Palestinian protests. These investigations, noted across
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  Speaker 1: multiple reports, signal federal scrutiny over alleged failures to address antisemitism. Additionally,
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  Speaker 1: a Quebec superior court judge has authorized a class action
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  Speaker 1: lawsuit against McGill University Jewish students allege the university failed
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  Speaker 1: to combat antisemitism and anti Zionist activities, seeking damages for
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  Speaker 1: alleged discrimination and harassment. This legal action, reported by the
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  Speaker 1: Canadian Press, highlights ongoing accountability efforts in politics. Former President
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  Speaker 1: Donald Trump accused Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdolelsaide of intensely
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  Speaker 1: hating Israel and Jewish people, stating he hates them with
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  Speaker 1: a passion. Trump made these remarks following Elsaide's primary victory.
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  Speaker 1: This rhetoric, reported by multiple sources, focuses on the candidate's
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  Speaker 1: stance on Israel. In Denver, Jewish community leaders have expressed
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  Speaker 1: fear over the rhetoric of newly elected Democratic Socialist mel
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  Speaker 1: At Cairo's, who has been accused of blaming Israel for
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  Speaker 1: domestic antisemitism and refusing to label a local firebombing as
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  Speaker 1: an antisemitic hate crime. Reports also mentioned Senator John Fetterman's
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  Speaker 1: criticism of an anti Israel news outlet and a widely
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  Speaker 1: discussed incident where Piers Morgan confronted a student who stated
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  Speaker 1: he would not work for a Jew. Regarding rhetoric that
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  Speaker 1: may qualify under IHRA's contemporary examples, we note the primary
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  Speaker 1: election loss of Representative Cory Bush in Missouri. Pro Israel
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  Speaker 1: advocates framed her defeat as a victory against her platform,
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  Speaker 1: which included tearing down the pro Israel lobbies Kingdom and
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  Speaker 1: her repeated accusations of genocide against Israel. Her campaign was
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  Speaker 1: noted for its anti AIPAC stance. On the policy front,
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  Speaker 1: a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Right to Worship
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  Speaker 1: Act in the House and Senate. This federal legislation would
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  Speaker 1: establish a one hundred foot buffer zone around houses of
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  Speaker 1: worship during services to protect against disruptive demonstrations. The Anti
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  Speaker 1: Defamation League, which helped draft the legislation, stated its aim
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  Speaker 1: is to ensure no one has to push through hostile
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  Speaker 1: crowds to pray. This bill represents a legislative effort to
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  Speaker 1: address increasing disruptions at religious sites. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated
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  Speaker 1: with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important
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  Speaker 1: details with primary sources,