Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 29, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 29, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. A terrifying
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: incident unfolded outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Yom Kippur.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: According to Belleville police, a gunman approached the Sons of
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Jacob synagogue during services and allegedly shouted, you are going
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: to die for the Jews, before firing a shotgun at
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: an officer sitting in a police cruiser outside. Police stated
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  Speaker 1: the shooting was a deliberate, hate-motivated attack targeting the Jewish community.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: The officer, Constable Jeff Smith, was struck multiple times and
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: sustained serious head trauma, but managed to return fire. The attacker,
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  Speaker 1: Sean Ward, later died at a hospital. Belleville Police Chief
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Murray Rod said the officer faces a lengthy recovery, but
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: is making progress. Chief Rod also confirmed that the gunman
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: possessed the means, motive and mechanisms to cause a mass
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: casualty and the destruction of the Jewish synagogue, with combustible
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: materials found in his vehicle. Simon Wohl, CEO of Bione
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Brith Canada, told Fox News Digital that the officer's presence
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  Speaker 1: may have prevented a massacre and that the incident exposes
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: vulnerabilities in security systems for Canadian Jewish institutions. B'nai B'rith
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Canada is advocating for legal changes to allow synagogues and
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: other vulnerable institutions to hire qualified armed security guards. In France,
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: allegations of anti-Semitic remarks made by Jordan Bardella, a key
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  Speaker 1: figure in Marine Le Pen's National Rally Party and her
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  Speaker 1: potential prime minister, are casting a shadow over her presidential campaign.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Investigative website Mediapart reported on comments attributed to Bardella from
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  Speaker 1: over a decade ago, when he was a teenager and
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: a member of the party's predecessor, the National Front. These
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  Speaker 1: alleged comments, reportedly made in private exchanges, include phrases like,
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  Speaker 1: the Jew has to dominate other peoples, crush them and
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  Speaker 1: rob them, and suggestions of Jewish control over banks. Bardella
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: has vehemently denied the claims, calling them delusional and part
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  Speaker 1: of a dirty tricks operation, and the beginning of a
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: total war aimed at destabilizing Le Pen's campaign, stating he
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  Speaker 1: is taking legal action for defamation. Marine Le Pen expressed
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: absolute confidence in Bardella, describing the allegations as an attempt
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: to destabilize the campaign. French government officials have commented on
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  Speaker 1: the allegations, linking them to the national rally's historical ties
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  Speaker 1: to antisemitism. a legacy Marine Le Pen has worked to
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: distance the party from. New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani
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  Speaker 1: has unveiled a comprehensive strategy to combat antisemitism, allocating significant
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  Speaker 1: funding and resources. The plan includes $ 1 million for the
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  Speaker 1: physical security of vulnerable non-profit organizations and $ 6. 4 million for
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  Speaker 1: grants under its Partners Against the Hate initiative, along with
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  Speaker 1: other investments in Holocaust education and cultural institutions. totaling nearly
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  Speaker 1: $ 10 million in immediate allocations. City Hall is also investing $ 2. 5
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  Speaker 1: million in the Center for New Jewish Culture and $ 2
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  Speaker 1: million for a Holocaust memorial in Queens. According to reporting
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: from CBS New York and Gothamist, antisemitic hate crimes are
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: up 9% in the city and constitute over half of
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  Speaker 1: all reported hate crimes. However, a central point of controversy
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: is the administration's decision not to adopt a single, Formal
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Definition of Antisemitism, a move that has drawn criticism. The
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: strategy acknowledges multiple definitions, including those from the IHRA, Jerusalem Declaration,
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  Speaker 1: and Nexus document, but states the city can effectively combat
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism without a formal, singular definition, reversing a previous executive
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  Speaker 1: order by former Mayor Eric Adams that adopted the IHRA definition.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: The Anti-Defamation League had called for a formal definition. Some
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Jewish organizations, including the UJA Federation of New York, noted
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  Speaker 1: that while the plan has positive elements, it fails to
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  Speaker 1: address a central issue that the mayor himself has perpetuated.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: Rhetoric that demonizes and delegitimizes Israel inevitably leads to the
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  Speaker 1: targeting of Jewish New Yorkers. This criticism comes amidst Mamdani's
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  Speaker 1: past criticisms of Israel and clashes with figures like Prime
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has accused the mayor of fueling antisemitism.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: On the campus front, Pennsylvania state representatives are urging the
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: state's attorney general to investigate alleged systemic discrimination and antisemitic
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: content within the Philadelphia school district. This call follows reports
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: of antisemitic incidents and a 2024 settlement with the U.S.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, which found the
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: district had not adequately investigated or responded to claims. Separately,
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: an analysis from David Bernstein of George Mason University, discussing
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: a new US Civil Rights Commission report, examines the legal
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: interpretation of hostile environment claims on campus. Bernstein argues that
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: while anti-Zionist speech can create a hostile environment for Jewish students,
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  Speaker 1: even without explicit anti-Jewish animus, such political speech, if not
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: amounting to individualized harassment or threats, should not form the
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: basis of a hostile environment claim under the First Amendment.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so you don't
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: miss the next update. This report was generated with AI
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: primary sources.