Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 24, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 24, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: with a disturbing antisemitic attack in Surfside, Florida. On August sixteenth,
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  Speaker 1: a Jewish couple visiting from New York was approached by
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: thirty five year old Jordan Stephen Perose on a scooter.
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  Speaker 1: According to police reports, Peroso hurled antisemitic slurs at the couple,
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  Speaker 1: then punched the husband and threatened to kill him. He
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  Speaker 1: also reportedly yelled about Israel and Palestine. The victim's wife
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: captured part of the incident on video, describing the suspect's
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  Speaker 1: words as filled with so much hate. Peroso was arrested
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  Speaker 1: and charged with battery with prejudice and harassment or intimidation
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  Speaker 1: based on religious or ethnic heritage. A community rallied outside
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  Speaker 1: Surfside City Hall to condemn the attack, carrying signs that
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  Speaker 1: read no Hate in Surfside. Elected officials participated, speaking out
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  Speaker 1: against a rise in antisides amidic incidents in South Florida.
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  Speaker 1: Demonstrators expressed outrage over the six thousand dollars bond granted
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  Speaker 1: to Peroso, arguing he was a danger and should have
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  Speaker 1: been jailed. Peroso has a prior arrest for allegedly using
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  Speaker 1: a box cutter on a FIFA World Cup soccer ball.
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  Speaker 1: Following his arrest for the antisemitic attack, his employer, Flanagan's
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  Speaker 1: Bar and Grill fired him. The Number Ended Jew Hatred
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  Speaker 1: group and the Law Fair Project have called for a
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  Speaker 1: vigorous prosecution of the case as a hate crime, with
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  Speaker 1: Brooke Goldstein stating that zero tolerance for jew hatred must
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  Speaker 1: mean that every anti Jewish incident is met with real
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  Speaker 1: consequences without exception. Turning to political rhetoric, prominent left wing
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  Speaker 1: political streamer Hassen Piker has drawn widespread condemnation for remarks
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  Speaker 1: made during a live stream last week. Piker suggested that
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  Speaker 1: American Jews could face violence due to their support for Israel, stating,
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  Speaker 1: eventually someone's going to come around and take action not
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  Speaker 1: against the state of Israel mine, but against American Jews.
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  Speaker 1: He also referred to Israel as the Jewish isis and
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  Speaker 1: accused Jews of reinforcing the antisemitic trope of dual loyalty.
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  Speaker 1: House Minority leader Hakim Jeffreys, a New York Democrat, issued
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  Speaker 1: a strong statement calling the claim that American Jews are
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  Speaker 1: inviting violence against themselves dangerous and antisemitic, adding there is
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  Speaker 1: zero justification for threats against the Jewish community. Michigan Democratic
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  Speaker 1: Representative Hillary Skulton also denounced Piker's comments, calling them unacceptable
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  Speaker 1: and dangerous. Hailey Seyfer, head of the Jewish Democratic Council
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  Speaker 1: of America, urged all Democrats to separate themselves from Piker.
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  Speaker 1: Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdel Elsay distanced himself from Piker,
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  Speaker 1: stating that antisemitism is a scourge and we need to
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  Speaker 1: address it in all its forms. In Hollywood, actor Mark
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  Speaker 1: Ruffalo has forcefully pushed back against accusations of antisemitism leveled
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  Speaker 1: by Paramount Pictures. The studio stated it was troubled when
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic tropes are invoked. After Ruffalo criticized a proposed corporate
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  Speaker 1: merger involving Paramount and Oracle and Oracle's Technology's role in
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  Speaker 1: the Israel Gaza conflict using terms like genocide and aparteate, Ruffalo,
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  Speaker 1: in an ex post, called the accusation appalling and fundamentally dishonest.
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  Speaker 1: He maintained that criticizing Israeli government policy, military technology contracts,
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  Speaker 1: or corporate executives is not the same as criticizing Jewish people.
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  Speaker 1: He further stated that his views are driven by his
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  Speaker 1: own political convictions and should not be interpreted as hostility
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  Speaker 1: toward the Jewish community, highlighting the positive influence of his
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  Speaker 1: Jewish friends and colleagues. Actor John Cusack voiced his support
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  Speaker 1: for Ruffalo's stance. Also in politics, doctor Charles asher Small,
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: founder of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: and Policy, described New York City Mayor Zurin Mamdani as
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  Speaker 1: embodying a growing red green alliance between radical left politics
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  Speaker 1: and political Islam, citing Mamdani's history with Students for Justice
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  Speaker 1: in Palestine and the Democratic Socialists of America and perceived
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  Speaker 1: hostility toward Israel and Western institutions. User comments have also
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  Speaker 1: expressed accusations of antisemitism towards Mamdani on campuses. Reports highlight
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  Speaker 1: ongoing concerns about antisemitism. Brande's University has launched a new
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  Speaker 1: public course, America and Its Jews at two hundred fifty,
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  Speaker 1: examining the historical contributions and contemporary challenges faced by Jews
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  Speaker 1: in the US, particularly relevant given rising antisemitism and campus turmoil. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: in positive developments, a new study released by the Anti
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: Defamation League Center for Antisemitism Research found that a single
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  Speaker 1: forty five minute classroom lesson on contemporary antisemitism can significantly
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  Speaker 1: reduce teenager's endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy theories in nas. The study,
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  Speaker 1: involving three hundred and seventy two middle and high school students,
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  Speaker 1: showed measurable shifts in how teens think about antisemitism. I'm
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  Speaker 1: Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. This
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  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.